Don Nelson, the Hall of Fame NBA head coach who won five NBA championships as a player with the Celtics, died Sunday, his family said in a statement, according to Marc Stein.
He was 86 years old.
A cause of death was not disclosed.
“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,” the statement said. “Throughout his last week, friends and family encircled him with love, sharing the blessing of his friendship and revisiting treasured memories.”
Nelson’s 1,335 wins are the second-most among coaches in NBA history.
He had the most before he was surpassed by Gregg Popovich.
Nelson was the Bucks coach from 1976-88, then took over the Warriors until 1995.
He coached the Knicks during the 1995-96 season, but he was fired before the end of the year.
He then had an eight-year run with the Mavericks before returning to Golden State for a four-year stint, which concluded with Steph Curry’s rookie year in 2009-10.
