DON NELSON. SECOND-WINNINGEST COACH IN NBA HISTORY, DIES AT 86

Don Nelson, the second-winningest coach in NBA history, a five-time NBA champion as a player and a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, has died, it was announced Sunday. He was 86.

"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," Nelson's family said in a statement. "Throughout his last week, friends and family encircled him with love, sharing the blessing of his friendship and revisiting treasured memories."

In 31 seasons as an NBA head coach with the Milwaukee Bucks, Golden State Warriors (twice), New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks, Nelson finished with a regular-season record of 1,335-1,063. He retired with the most coaching wins ever, a mark that was broken by the San Antonio Spurs' Gregg Popovich in March 2022.

Nelson made 18 playoff appearances as a coach, finishing with a 75-91 postseason record.

As a player, Nelson won five NBA titles in 11 seasons with the Boston Celtics, who retired his No. 19 jersey in 1978. He played 14 seasons in the NBA.

"The Celtics extend our deep condolences to Nelson's family, loved ones, and everyone he touched through his rich and impactful life in basketball and beyond," the Celtics said in a statement.

Immediately following his playing career, Nelson joined the Milwaukee Bucks as an assistant coach for the 1976-77 season. Only 15 games into that season, he was promoted to head coach after Larry Costello was fired.

From there, Nelson, who added general manager to his title the following season with Milwaukee, used an unorthodox coaching style that became known as "Nellie Ball" to put together a Hall of Fame résumé during his 31 seasons. Nellie Ball proved to be ahead of its time, utilizing smaller, more athletic players to fuel a fast-paced offense that prioritized creating mismatches through speed. It was a philosophy that was adopted across the league long after he retired.

"Don Nelson was a true innovator whose influence on the game of basketball is still felt today," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said in a statement Sunday. "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."

Nelson's fast-paced offenses were probably best on display during his first stint in Golden State in the early 1990s -- the "Run TMC" era featuring future Hall of Famers Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin. Nelson said he wanted the trio of guards on the court at the same time, a daring idea at the time.

"Nellie was ahead of his time and there was nobody else like him," Hardaway said. "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."

Richmond and Mullin also shared heartfelt gratitude toward Nelson in statements released Sunday, a sentiment shared by several of the longtime coach's former players.

Nelson was a three-time winner of the NBA Coach of the Year award (1983, '85, '92) but never won an NBA championship as a coach.

Boston Celtics' Don Nelson (19) goes to the basket against Milwaukee's Cornell Warner (35) during an NBA championship game in 1974. AP Photo, File

With Milwaukee, Nelson missed the playoffs only twice in his 11 seasons, winning seven straight Central Division titles. But he never reached the NBA Finals as he couldn't overcome Eastern Conference powerhouses Boston or Philadelphia, and he resigned after the 1986-87 season.

After one season of TV analyst work, he returned to the bench with Golden State, where he spent seven seasons before he resigned midway through the 1994-95 season. He returned for a second stint with the Warriors before the 2006-07 season and stayed four more seasons in his final NBA stop.

Nelson accepted the coaching job with the Knicks before the 1995-96 season but was fired with a 34-25 record and replaced by assistant Jeff Van Gundy.

The following year, Nelson joined the Mavericks, where he helped turn around the franchise's fortunes by working draft-day deals to acquire future Hall of Famers Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash. He coached eight seasons with the Mavericks, and his son Donnie, who served as his assistant, also was the team's general manager before an acrimonious split in June 2021.

"We hid Dirk for several weeks before the draft," Nelson told Sports Illustrated about Nowitzki flying under the radar while practicing with Athletes in Action in Dallas before the 1998 draft. "We made a commitment that we were going to draft him. We just wanted to keep him from going anywhere else to work out. He was going to be ours. He was happy with that. So, he hid for a week in Donnie's basement."

In a social media post Sunday, Nowitzki thanked Nelson for all his former coach did for him.

Nelson is also credited for helping land another franchise-altering superstar in his final years as Warriors head coach. During the 2009 NBA draft, he went against consensus and pushed Golden State to draft Stephen Curry with the No. 7 pick.

"One of the big reasons I was drafted by the Warriors was because of Don Nelson," Curry said in a statement. "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."

Nelson twice coached in the NBA All-Star Game, and he led "Dream Team II" to a gold medal at the 1994 FIBA World Championships.

Nelson was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012. In 2025, he received the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by the National Basketball Coaches Association. Miffed that the Mavericks sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in a blockbuster trade, Nelson wore a pair of Doncic's signature Jordan Brand sneakers to the awards ceremony. He called the trade a "tremendous mistake."

Doncic, who shared a close relationship with Donnie Nelson during their time together in Dallas, called Sunday a sad day for basketball in a social media post.

After a standout college career at Iowa, Nelson broke into the NBA as a player with the Chicago Zephyrs, who selected him with the 17th pick in the 1962 draft. The Los Angeles Lakers claimed him off waivers before the 1963-64 season, but Nelson did not play much. Celtics general manager Red Auerbach then came calling before the 1964-65 season, signing him as a free agent. Nelson went on to average 11.4 points and 5.2 rebounds while winning five titles during his 11 seasons in Boston.

His most celebrated moment as a Celtic came in the final minutes of Game 7 of the NBA Finals in 1969 against the Lakers, when Nelson's foul-line jumper that initially bounced high off the back rim gave Boston a three-point lead.

Overall, he played 1,053 regular-season games as a small forward and power forward, averaging 10.3 points and 4.9 rebounds. In 150 career playoff games, he averaged 10.5 points and 4.8 rebounds.

"Don Nelson revolutionized NBA basketball through his fearlessness, ingenuity and deep conviction," NBA commissioner Adam Silver said. "He spent nearly 50 years in the NBA -- winning five championships as a player with the Boston Celtics before building one of the most successful and pioneering coaching careers in league history. He brought an unmistakable personality to everything he did, and his impact on our sport will continue to be felt for generations."

After his coaching career, Nelson retired to a 22-acre farm in Maui, Hawai'i, and became an entrepreneur. He told HBO's "Real Sports" in 2019 that he grew flowers, coffee and cannabis on the farm.

After the deadly Maui wildfires of 2023, Nelson opened his rental properties to families who had lost their homes.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

- ESPN

SAN ANTONIO SPURS WITH GREGG POPOVICH

The San Antonio Spurs were worth $76M when Gregg Popovich took over as head coach in 1996.

Three decades and 5 NBA Finals titles later, the Spurs are worth 50 times that.

GREGG POPOVICH ENDS LEGENDARY COACHING CAREER AFTER 29 SEASONS

The NBA's all-time winningest coach will transition to the role of Spurs president of basketball operations.

Gregg Popovich, the NBA’s all-time winningest coach, amassed 1,422 wins as head coach of the Spurs.

Gregg Popovich stepped down as coach of the San Antonio Spurs on Friday, ending a three-decade run that saw him lead the team to five NBA championships, become the league’s all-time wins leader and earn induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

“While my love and passion for the game remain, I’ve decided it’s time to step away as head coach,” Popovich said.

He will transition to team president. Mitch Johnson, a Spurs assistant who filled in for Popovich for the season’s final 77 games, becomes the team’s coach.

Popovich, 76, missed all but five games this season after having a stroke at the team’s arena on Nov. 2. He has not spoken publicly since, though he had addressed his team at least once and released a statement in late March saying that he hoped to return to coaching.

That won’t be happening.

“I’m forever grateful to the wonderful players, coaches, staff and fans who allowed me to serve them as the Spurs head coach and am excited for the opportunity to continue to support the organization, community and city that are so meaningful to me,” Popovich said.

Popovich’s career ends with a record of 1,422-869, which does include the 77 games — 32 wins and 45 losses — that were coached by Johnson this season. He also won 170 playoff games with the Spurs, the most by any coach with any one team and the third-most overall behind only Phil Jackson’s 229 and Pat Riley’s 171.

“The best there ever was,” Spurs great Manu Ginobili said last year of Popovich.

Popovich was a three-time NBA Coach of the Year, led the U.S. to a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics and coached six Hall of Famers in San Antonio — Ginobili, David Robinson, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Dominique Wilkins and Pau Gasol. He went up against 170 different coaches during his time in the NBA and there have been 303 coaching changes made in the league, including interim moves, during the Popovich era.

“I’ve got a video on my phone that’s, like, priceless,” said Chris Paul, who played for the Spurs this past season — going there, in large part, because of the lure of playing for Popovich. “It was us in Oklahoma City, before shootaround, and Pop is doing ballhandling stuff. All these years I’ve always seen Pop coaching in a suit, but I didn’t know how hard of a worker he was when it comes to training.”

That work ethic, Paul said, carried over into this year after the stroke and Popovich’s commitment to his rehabilitation process.

“I was the first one to get to the arena for games, and I would walk past the training room and Pop would be on the treadmill,” Paul said. “I actually had a chance to be in there while Pop is doing rehab or whatnot. So, to see how hard he works, that’s what I’m glad I got a chance to see. It had nothing to do with basketball. It just showed who he is.”

Popovich, in his role as general manager of the Spurs, made the move to fire coach Bob Hill and promote himself into that job on Dec. 10, 1996. The timing seemed, at best, awkward. The Spurs were 3-15 at that point, having played all 18 of those games without Robinson, who was just about to come back from injury. Popovich took over on the day that Robinson returned to the lineup.

“A change in direction was necessary,” Popovich said that day.

The Spurs hadn’t changed direction again since.

“Coach Pop’s extraordinary impact on our family, San Antonio, the Spurs and the game of basketball is profound,” Spurs managing partner Peter J. Holt said. “His accolades and awards don’t do justice to the impact he has had on so many people. He is truly one-of-one as a person, leader and coach. Our entire family, alongside fans from across the globe, are grateful for his remarkable 29-year run as the head coach of the San Antonio Spurs.”

The fortunes changed — Duncan was picked No. 1 overall in the 1997 Draft — but the direction under Popovich always stayed the same. The first championship came in 1999; others followed in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014. In his first 22 seasons as coach, the Spurs had 22 winning records, the first 20 of those seasons winning at least 60% of the time.

His decision to step away now comes with the Spurs having just completed the second year of a rebuild around French star Victor Wembanyama, who arrived touted as the next San Antonio great and has done nothing to suggest he won’t live up to that billing.

Popovich played at the U.S. Air Force Academy, famously wasn’t picked in a bid to make the 1972 U.S. Olympic team — some still say he merited a spot on that team — and wound up becoming a coach who might have been perfectly content to run Pomona-Pitzer, a Division III program in California, for the entirety of his professional life. That school had lost 88 consecutive conference games when he arrived; it didn’t take long for Popovich to deliver a conference championship.

Eventually, the NBA called. In time, Popovich would be paired with Robinson, then the patriarch of a dynasty fueled by Duncan, Parker and Ginobili. And out of that, Popovich put together a career like none other.

“Everyone knows the amazing job he’s done and all the accomplishments,” longtime coach Larry Brown said in 2021. “I wish more people really could know the type of person that he is.”

He was famously grumpy, liked to clash with reporters, rarely offered any details of his basketball or private life other than what was necessary. It was simultaneously real and an act; Popovich has a much softer side as well — he quietly championed causes like the San Antonio Food Bank for years and wasn’t afraid to make his political views known. And those lucky enough to know him find him hilarious.

“He has an amazing sense of humor,” Boston forward Jayson Tatum said while playing for Popovich during the Tokyo Olympics four years ago. “I guess the casual fan sees the person who does those interviews postgame, but that’s not the case of who he is at all. I absolutely love spending time with him.”

A loss in the 2013 NBA Finals crushed Popovich, whose Spurs were in position to close out the Miami Heat in six games, lost Game 6 in overtime after Ray Allen’s 3-pointer with 5.2 seconds remaining in regulation kept the Heat alive, then fell in Game 7. But in the moments after the final horn, as Miami coach Erik Spoelstra embraced his staff, Popovich joined the hug with a wide smile.

"Spoelstra, who became coach of the Heat in 2008, becomes the league’s longest-tenured in his current position.

“He’s always just been an incredible example of class, dignity,” Spoelstra said of Popovich. “To be able to do that after wins or losses, I just think it’s a great example that you can still have class regardless of how the outcome comes during a game.”

When the Spurs beat the Heat for the title in a finals rematch in 2014, it was Spoelstra who felt the sting of losing. And once again, it was Popovich who sent congratulations on a job well done.

“There is no one out there like Pop,” Golden State coach Steve Kerr said.

Popovich’s was a tenure like few others. Popovich coached the Spurs for 29 seasons, a span nearly unmatched in U.S. major pro sports history. Connie Mack managed the Philadelphia Athletics for 50 years, George Halas coached the Chicago Bears for 40 years and John McGraw managed the New York Giants for 31 years. Those three tenures — all wrapping up well over a half-century ago — are the only ones exceeding the length of Popovich’s coaching run with the Spurs; his 29-year era in San Antonio was matched by the Dallas Cowboys’ Tom Landry and the Green Bay Packers’ Curly Lambeau.

“It means I’m old,” Popovich said last year."

Popovich broke a gender barrier of sorts in the league when he hired Becky Hammon as the league’s first female full-time paid assistant coach. Hammon, now coach of the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces, would also become the first female head Summer League coach in the NBA and first female acting head coach when she replaced Popovich for a game in 2020.

“Basketball is basketball,” South Carolina women’s coach Dawn Staley said when asked about Popovich in 2017. “It doesn’t have a gender. It has a mind. It has an approach. It has a willingness. Given the opportunity, women can excel in this game. As you can see. Becky Hammon is doing a great job. You need more people like Coach Popovich to give them opportunities to learn, to grow, and to embrace it. I don’t think he sees gender. I think he sees someone that has a great basketball mind, that’s tireless. Once you’re given that opportunity, you see great things come out of it.”

Popovich spoke about wine whenever he could and offered his views on politics and current events but rarely offered much insight into coaching decisions or personnel matters. It was almost military-like secrecy, which made sense given that Popovich was a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and was an expert on, among other things, the rise and fall of the Soviet Union.

His love of country led to him taking a small side job during his San Antonio tenure — that being coaching USA Basketball for the 2019 World Cup and the Tokyo Olympics two years later. His World Cup team finished seventh, the worst placing ever for a U.S. team with NBA players. His Olympic team won gold.

“It’s impossible to separate it if you have been in the military,” Popovich said when asked about the parallels of being at the Air Force Academy and coaching the country’s national team. “I’ve had classmates that have fought in wars — I have not — and some of them are no longer with us. You get an appreciation for people who have sacrificed. So, when you have an opportunity to do this for your country, it’s impossible to say no. I love being part of it.”

 - NBA.com News Services

 

GREGG POPOVICH'S COACHING TREE

 

SAN ANTONIO SPURS COACH GREGG POPOVICH OUT INDEFINITELY WITH HEALTH ISSUE

AP Photo 

Longtime San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who experienced an undisclosed health issue over the weekend, will not be with the team for upcoming games in Los Angeles and Houston, the Spurs announced Monday.

Popovich, 75, experienced the issue Saturday and did not coach during the Spurs' 113-103 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves later that night in San Antonio. Assistant Mitch Johnson, who coached Saturday, is expected to serve as the Spurs' interim coach amid Popovich's indefinite absence.

Johnson said he was told he would take over as head coach about an hour or 1 1/2 hours before the Spurs' game against the Timberwolves.

"He is not feeling well," Johnson said, when asked about Popovich. "This has happened before. I think Everybody just always got to be ready for the next man up, right? With injuries, and sometimes people get sick or don't feel well and things come up in life. He is just not feeling well."

Popovich is the all-time winningest coach in NBA history, with 1,390 regular-season wins and 170 postseason victories. The five-time NBA Finals champion is in his 29th season with the Spurs.

The Spurs (3-3) will face the Los Angeles Clippers (2-4) at 10:30 p.m. EST Monday in Los Angeles. They will take on the Houston Rockets (3-3) on Wednesday in Houston.

The Spurs will return home for a matchup with the Portland Trail Blazers (2-5) on Thursday at the Frost Bank Center.

- Alex Butler

GREGG POPOVICH MILESTONE

On this date 10/28/2018 Coach Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs becomes the 5th coach to surpass 1,200 wins!  

TEAM USA HAS "APPROPRIATE FEAR" IN FACING SOUTH SUDAN

PARIS -- Team USA has initiated the "appropriate fear" phrase.

This tradition traces back to Hall of Fame coach Gregg Popovich, who pioneered the mindset -- a respect for the underdog mantra he brought to the San Antonio Spurs and later as coach of Team USA.

And one that current coach Steve Kerr, one of Popovich's many pupils, has been imparting this week as the Americans prepare to see South Sudan on Wednesday in Olympic pool play. On the heels of an impressive win over Serbia, another U.S. victory would clinch a spot in next week's quarterfinals.

South Sudan is playing in its first Olympics and doesn't have any current NBA players on its roster. But the Bright Stars beat Puerto Rico in their Olympic opener last Sunday and pushed Team USA to the brink in a one-point loss in a friendly in London less than two weeks ago.

"We have appropriate fear," said Steph Curry, who has played for Kerr for a decade with the Golden State Warriors and is quite familiar with the concept. "We know we can't just sleepwalk through any game and feel like you're going to win."

The U.S. is a heavy favorite against the Bright Stars; ESPN BET has set the line at 29.5 points. But the Americans were favored by more than 40 points on July 20. It took a basket by LeBron James with eight seconds left and surviving multiple good looks the South Sudanese got just before the buzzer for the U.S. to secure a 101-100 victory.

"They came within one shot of beating us," Kerr said. "I'm really glad that we played them so we can feel their speed and their 3-point shooting ability and feel how good they are."

Unlike Serbia, a methodical bruising team that prefers to play slow and rough, South Sudan is loaded with players with NBA-level quickness.

Led by former NBA player and current Houston Rockets assistant coach Royal Ivey, South Sudan will have five 3-point shooting threats on the floor at all times and look to spread opponents out. It made 14 3-pointers against the Americans in London and made 10 more against Puerto Rico.

"The exhibition schedule was great because you got to figure out where we need to get better and also feel the force of teams that are coming trying to beat us," Curry said. "They're a very high-octane offense, spread the floor, shoot a lot of 3s and have athleticism. So you just got to be mindful of how to guard them. It's totally different than Serbia."

High on the scouting report will be former Philadelphia 76ers wing Marial Shayok, who lit up the U.S. for 24 points in the last meeting. He and former NBA forward Wenyan Gabriel combined to shoot 9-of-15 on 3-pointers.

Former G League Player of the Year Carlik Jones had a triple-double in the game in London, breaking down the American perimeter defense with aggressive drives that opened up kick outs to 3-point shooters. Jones, who recently signed a with Serbian power FK Partizan, had 19 points, seven rebounds and six assists against Puerto Rico.

"We'll be much better prepared [Wednesday]," Kerr said. "But doesn't guarantee anything."

Also Tuesday, Team USA center Joel Embiid spoke to the media for the first time since arriving in France. Embiid was booed by the French crowd in Lille on Sunday, not unexpected after he passed on offers to play for France in these Olympics.

"[Reaction is] nothing," Embiid said. "Like I've said, I'm an American. I play for Team USA."

Embiid grew up in Cameroon and moved to the U.S when he was 16. He was granted French citizenship in 2022 and American citizenship in 2023.

- Brian Windhorst, ESPN Senior Writer

SPURS COACH GREGG POPOVICH CHASTIISES HOME FANS FOR BOOING KAWHI LEONARD AND THE CLIPPERS

AP Photo 

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich grabbed the microphone and chastised the crowd at the Frost Bank Center on Wednesday night, telling fans to stop booing former Spurs All-Star Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers.

“Excuse me for a second,” Popovich said, silencing the crowd late in the first half. “Can we stop all the booing and let these guys play? Have a little class. It’s not who we are. Knock off the booing.”

Leonard had 24 points as the Clippers beat San Antonio 109-102 on Wednesday night, handing the Spurs their 10th straight loss.

“I thought that was an awesome moment, despite the fans booing, I think, even more,” Clippers star Paul George said. “I think that was a hell of a moment, Pop having Kawhi’s back in that situation.”

SAN ANTONIO SURS SET NEW NBA REGULAR-SEASON ATTENDANCE RECORD

 

San Antonio Surs set NBA attendance record but  with a heavy defeat from the Golden State Warriors.

GREGG POPOVICH ON LEBRON JAMES

GREGG POPOVICH & JAYSON TATUM ON TEAM USA LOSING TO NIGERIA: CAN'T ACT LIKE IIT'S THE END OF THE WORLD"

GREGG POPOVICH TALKS LUKA DONCIC LEADING SLOVENIA TO OLYMPIC BERTH & "DREAM" TO BE IN THE OLYMPICS