Only Don Nelson could stare cancer in the face and somehow… laugh. It was February 2001 when the then-Dallas Mavericks coach returned from his 52-day absence due to battling prostate cancer. He was a whole 10 pounds lighter as he walked into the Reunion Arena. An announcer spoke into the mic: “Welcome back, Nellie.”

That’s when Nelson dug out an 89-cent red foam ball from his pocket, stuck it onto his nose, not only laughing at cancer but also ending his not-so-serious feud with Shaquille O’Neal. O’Neal had been calling Nelson ‘a clown,’ but the latter’s action was not a dig. The feud, if any at all, had been buried when O’Neal wished Nelson well during his cancer fight. 

But Nelson, the man who coached NBA teams like the Milwaukee Bucks, the Golden State Warriors and the Dallas Mavericks, passed away at 86. It goes without saying that many NBA players who had a close connection with him were heartbroken. One such person was Luka Doncic.

“It’s a sad day for basketball with the passing of Don Nelson,” he wrote on X. “I have so much respect for him and everything he did for the game, especially the way he believed in international players. I’m grateful for the time I spent with him.

“Thinking of the entire Nelson family today. I loved getting to know you, Coach.”

The cause of death was not revealed, though his family released a statement:

“On Sunday morning our beloved husband, dad, grandfather and great-grandfather Don Nelson peacefully went to be with the Lord, surrounded by his loving family. Throughout his last week, friends and family encircled him with love, sharing the blessing of his friendship and revisiting treasured memories.”

However, Doncic’s words carry weight because Nelson’s belief in international talent was a major part of his basketball philosophy. His connection to the Doncic family also ran through Dallas, where Nelson’s son, Donnie Nelson, played a major role in bringing Doncic to the Mavericks in 2018.

In fact, Don Nelson later became one of the strongest voices against Dallas’ decision to trade Doncic to the Lakers in 2025.

Nelson even made his feelings impossible to miss during the 2025 NBA Finals. While receiving the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award, he showed up wearing Doncic’s signature shoes and explained exactly why.

“I want everybody to know I’m wearing Luka’s shoes, his new shoes from Nike that just got on the market. I’m wearing them in protest of the trade from Dallas. Tremendous mistake by the Dallas franchise to trade him, and I want everybody to know that.”

Doncic’s response at the time was just as simple: “Congratulations Coach! Nice shoes!”

So, when Doncic remembered Nelson for believing in international players, it was not simply a tribute to an old NBA coach. It was a nod to someone who had repeatedly backed players who did not always fit the traditional NBA mold.

Dirk Nowitzki’s story, though in the 90s, was similar

It was 1998. Dirk Nowitzki was a 20-year-old lad from Würzburg, Germany, when he went to Dallas. English was his second language, and so, media interaction was difficult for him. On top of that, he wasn’t even sure about the NBA, but after playing 21 seasons in the NBA, all of them for Dallas, people might even forget it was the Bucks who drafted him. 

No wonder the former Mavericks star remembered Nelson as the coach who saw something in him before even Nowitzki knew what he could become.

“Nellie… You didn’t just draft me. You believed in me,” he wrote on X. “You saw things in my game before I ever realized I could do them.

“I’ve said it a million times and I will always say it: I don’t think my career could have turned out how it did without you being my first coach and giving me the freedom to play my game. I can only say THANK YOU. For everything. RIP legend.”

Nelson was not simply willing to take chances on unusual players. He gave them the freedom to become what he believed they could be.

Stephen Curry reveals just how much Nelson meant to his career

If Doncic’s message showed Nelson’s connection to international basketball, Stephen Curry’s tribute showed just how personal his impact could be. The Warriors’ official statement included a powerful message from Curry:

“One of the big reasons I was drafted by the Warriors was because of Don Nelson. The story is he never liked rookies, but from Day 1 he challenged me and gave me an opportunity to be my best self on the court. He taught me a lot during our one season together, and I’ll never forget the night he became the winningest coach in NBA history in Minnesota. We were so happy for him.

“He had an immeasurable impact on the sport and will go down as one of the greatest minds in the history of the game. He’s a true icon and will be missed by the countless number of people he touched, including myself, during a legendary career. Sending my love to Joy, his family, and all those who were fortunate enough to know him.”

That relationship makes Nelson’s legacy feel even closer to the modern NBA.

Curry later shared an even more personal tribute on his Instagram story, posting the Warriors’ memorial image for Nelson alongside a message that captured what the coach meant to him from the very beginning of his NBA career.

“My first coach in the @nba One of the greatest minds in the game and pushed the way it was played!! NellyBall was a real thing. Gave me the opportunity to find myself back in ‘09. Forever grateful. RIP Coach.”

Beyond bringing him to Golden State, Nelson gave the young guard the freedom to find his game during his rookie season. For Curry, that opportunity became the starting point of a career that would eventually reshape the NBA.

He coached Curry during his rookie season in 2009-10 and gave him the freedom to play his game. Curry averaged 17.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.9 steals that season while finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting.

Don Nelson’s coaching career

Nelson finished his coaching career with 1,335 wins, then second only to Gregg Popovich. He also became the only coach in NBA history to win at least 300 games with three different franchises, recording 540 with Milwaukee, 422 with Golden State and 339 with Dallas.

Long before Curry became the face of Golden State, Nelson was already building some of the most entertaining teams the franchise had ever seen.

His first Warriors stint ran from 1988 to 1995. It included the famous Run TMC trio of Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin. Nelson pushed a fast style built around skill, pace and freedom, often asking players to operate outside traditional positions. In 1990-91, the trio combined for 72.5 points per game while Golden State led the NBA with 116.3 points per game.

Hardaway remembered that freedom when the Warriors announced Nelson’s passing.

“Don Nelson meant so much to me, both as a coach and as a person. Nellie believed in me from the beginning and gave me the confidence and freedom to play my game. I’ll always be grateful for the opportunity he gave me and the special years we shared with Run TMC.

“Nellie was ahead of his time, and there was nobody else like him. He had an incredible impact on my career and on the game of basketball. I’m going to miss him, and my thoughts and prayers are with Joy, Donnie and the entire Nelson family.”

Then came the 2007 “We Believe” Warriors.

Nelson returned to Golden State in 2006 with the task of ending a 12-year playoff drought. One season later, the Warriors went 42-40 and became the first No. 8 seed to beat a No. 1 seed in a best-of-seven series when they knocked out the 67-win Dallas Mavericks. The 25-win gap between the teams remains one of the defining details of that upset.

Baron Davis was at the center of that run, and he made it clear how much Nelson trusted him.

“When I think of Nellie, I’ll always think of the ‘We Believe’ team and our incredible run in 2007. He understood what made us go and made us believe we could beat anybody, ultimately helping us make history as the first No. 8 seed to defeat a No. 1 seed in a seven-game series.

“That time in my life and career was truly special, and Nellie was a huge part of making it possible. I’ll always be grateful for the memories, the laughs and everything we accomplished together. I’m thinking of Joy and the entire Nelson family, remembering the happiness he brought to so many.”

That ability to make players believe in something different may be the clearest picture of Nelson’s coaching career.

Don Nelson saw the NBA before it was ready

Nelson’s influence did not stop with the Warriors.

His coaching career also included Milwaukee, New York and Dallas. In Dallas, he helped build the core around Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash and Michael Finley, while his willingness to embrace Nowitzki’s perimeter skills helped change the way a 7-footer could be used. His ideas around point forwards, small-ball lineups and unrestricted three-point shooting later became much more common across the league.

Steve Kerr summed up that impact perfectly in the Warriors’ tribute.

“Don Nelson was a true innovator whose influence on the game of basketball is still felt today. He consistently challenged conventional thinking, experimented with different lineups and styles of play, and saw possibilities in the game that others often did not. So much of what is now commonplace in the modern NBA can be traced back to the way Nellie approached the game.

“His impact on the Warriors is just as significant. He helped shape some of the most memorable teams and moments in franchise history and built a lasting connection with generations of Warriors fans. His legacy will always remain an important part of this organization. My thoughts are with the entire Nelson family.”

The reaction went far beyond former players and coaches. Journalist David Aldridge remembered Nelson as a coaching maestro whose ideas ranged from Paul Pressey’s point-forward role to Run TMC, small-ball fives and even letting 7-foot-6 Manute Bol shoot threes. Analyst and former football player Emmanuel Acho, meanwhile, recalled growing up watching Nelson’s Mavericks and falling in love with basketball through teams led by Michael Finley, Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki.

That may be Nelson’s greatest legacy. He did not simply coach teams. He challenged people to imagine basketball differently.

For 31 seasons, he kept doing exactly that. He won 1,335 games, three Coach of the Year awards and entered the Hall of Fame in 2012. 

Now, as Luka Doncic, Stephen Curry and the rest of the basketball world say goodbye, the simplest way to understand Don Nelson’s impact may be this: many of the things that once made Nellie different eventually became the norm. And that is why his influence will remain long after the final tribute is posted.