By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Don Nelson, the Hall of Fame basketball coach and five-time NBA champion as a player, has died at the age of 86, his family announced Sunday.
Nelson passed away peacefully surrounded by his loved ones. Over a career spanning more than four decades, he established himself as one of the most influential and innovative figures in NBA history.
As a player, Nelson spent 11 seasons with the Boston Celtics and won five NBA championships. He later became a pioneering coach, leading the Milwaukee Bucks, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks.
Nelson retired from coaching in 2010 with 1,335 regular-season victories, a record at the time and still the second-highest total in NBA history. He was named NBA Coach of the Year three times and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012.
Make