{"id":6584,"date":"2026-08-09T20:35:21","date_gmt":"2026-08-09T20:35:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6584"},"modified":"2026-08-09T20:35:21","modified_gmt":"2026-08-09T20:35:21","slug":"warriors-legends-mourn-don-nelson-the-man-behind-run-tmc-and-we-believe-teams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6584","title":{"rendered":"Warriors legends mourn Don Nelson, the man behind Run TMC and ‘We Believe’ teams"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

The basketball world has lost one of its titans, as former Warriors coach and executive Don Nelson died Sunday at the age of 86.<\/p>\n

Read more \u2018Spider-Man: Brand New Day\u2019 keeps record pace, \u2018The Odyssey\u2019 sets new high for Nolan<\/a><\/p>\n

Nelson has the second-most coaching wins in NBA history with a record of 1,335-1,063 over 31 seasons leading the Warriors, as well as the Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks. He was only surpassed after retiring by Gregg Popovich, who was a Warriors assistant under Nelson with the Warriors in the early 1990s.<\/p>\n

Those who knew the man who oversaw the \u201cRun TMC\u201d and \u201cWe Believe\u201d eras in Golden State mourned him publicly, lauding his creativity and ability to help players operate freely on the court.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe 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,\u201d Warriors coach Steve Kerr said in a release from the team.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon Nelson was one of the most innovative and influential coaches in the history of the NBA and an iconic figure in Warriors history. During two memorable stints as head coach, \u2018Nellie\u2019 left an indelible mark on our franchise with his approach to the game,\u201d a Warriors statement read.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon was a true basketball visionary whose impact stretched well beyond Golden State. He saw the game differently and was never afraid to challenge conventional thinking. His approach helped shape the game and paved the way for generations of players and coaches who followed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nelson is still the coaching wins leader in Milwaukee, where he won two Coach of the Year awards in his first 11 seasons as a head coach. He\u2019s second in Dallas Mavericks history and third behind Kerr and Al Attles in the Warriors\u2019 record book.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

He took over a Golden State team that had won just 20 games in 1987-88 under George Karl and led the Warriors, featuring young stars Chris Mullin and Mitch Richmond, to a 43-39 season and a first-round sweep of the higher-seeded Utah Jazz.<\/p>\n

Tim Hardaway joined up the next season as the small-ball Warriors made the playoffs in four of Nelson\u2019s six full seasons in charge before he left midway through the 1994-95 season. Another life highlight came in the middle of that run: Nelson married his wife, Joy, in a 1991 ceremony at the Oakland Arena.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe shared so much together over the years, and I\u2019ll always be grateful for the role he played in my life and career,\u201d Mullin said of Nelson. \u201cNellie was more than a coach to me; he was someone who truly cared.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNellie believed in me from the beginning and gave me the confidence and freedom to play my game,\u201d said Hardaway. \u201cI\u2019ll always be grateful for the opportunity he gave me and the special years we shared with Run TMC.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cHe made the game fun, and the memories we created together are ones I\u2019ll always cherish,\u201d Richmond said. \u201cNellie was a special person who meant a lot to so many people in basketball.\u201d<\/p>\n

That undersized and underdog approach came through again in Nelson\u2019s second stint with the Warriors: He rejoined in 2006 and immediately made a splash, squeaking into the playoffs as the West\u2019s No. 8 seed and upsetting the Dallas Mavericks, the team he coached for eight seasons between his Bay Area stays. Baron Davis, Al Harrington, Stephen Jackson, Monta Ellis and Jason Richardson all averaged 16 or more points for that team, which was second in the NBA in scoring.<\/p>\n

Read more Stanford ditches Flock cameras, hires new license plate reader firm<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThat time in my life and career was truly special, and Nellie was a huge part of making it possible,\u201d Davis said. \u201cI\u2019ll always be grateful for the memories, the laughs and everything we accomplished together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jackson added: \u201cNellie believed in me more than any coach I ever played for. He embraced me from Day 1. He understood me, trusted me and gave me the freedom to be myself on the court.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Warriors held Dirk Nowitzki, Nelson\u2019s star in Dallas and that season\u2019s MVP, to just 19.7 points per game over the six-game series, the first time he\u2019d averaged fewer than 23 points in a postseason.<\/p>\n

In the 11 seasons between Nelson\u2019s stints, the Warriors never made the playoffs.<\/p>\n

Even though his second run with the Warriors only included one postseason berth \u2013 the \u201cWe Believe\u201d team \u2013 those four years concluded with superstar Steph Curry\u2019s first in the NBA. Curry, now a four-time champ and two-time MVP, said Nelson was not usually a fan of rookies but gave him a shot to be himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe taught me a lot during our one season together and I\u2019ll never forget the night he became the winningest coach in NBA history in Minnesota. We were so happy for him,\u201d Curry recalled. \u201cHe had an immeasurable impact on the sport and will go down as one of the greatest minds in the history of the game.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a player, Nelson won all the titles he missed as a coach and executive: He was an 11-time champion as a sixth man for the Boston Celtics. At 6-foot-6, Nelson was larger than life, and his commanding coaching presence matched.<\/p>\n

Nelson was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012 and just last year, he received the Hall\u2019s Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou didn\u2019t just draft me. You believed in me. You saw things in my game before I ever realized I could do them,\u201d Nowitzki said on social media Sunday. \u201cI\u2019ve said it a million times and I will always say it: I don\u2019t 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI have so much respect for him and everything he did for the game, especially the way he believed in international players,\u201d Lakers star Luka Doncic, who crossed paths with Nelson in Dallas, said on social media. \u201cI\u2019m grateful for the time I spent with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nelson\u2019s son, Donnie, was an assistant coach on his Warriors staff from 1986-1994 and went on to the benches of the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks, where he also worked under his father. Donnie took over Don\u2019s position as general manager in Dallas in 2025 and oversaw the team that won the 2011 NBA Finals.<\/p>\n

When asked at the 2019 NBA Finals what he\u2019d been doing since retiring to Maui, Nelson matter-of-factly stated, \u201cYeah, I\u2019ve been smoking some pot,\u201d eliciting a raucous laugh from Jackson and the rest of the room. He was quick to note that he never smoked as a player or coach.<\/p>\n

Nelson will be remembered in a celebration of life Thursday at Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church in Dallas, as friends and family expect to spread his ashes in Maui at a later date.<\/p>\n

Read more Big Ten football: Assessing the win totals for all 18 teams (Washington and USC are easy; UCLA and Oregon, not so much)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cNellie believed in me more than any coach I ever played for. He embraced me from Day 1,” Stephen Jackson said. “He understood me, trusted me and gave me the freedom to be myself on the court.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6583,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6584","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\nWarriors legends mourn Don Nelson, the man behind Run TMC and ‘We Believe’ teams - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6584\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Warriors legends mourn Don Nelson, the man behind Run TMC and ‘We Believe’ teams - Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201cNellie believed in me more than any coach I ever played for. He embraced me from Day 1," Stephen Jackson said. "He understood me, trusted me and gave me the freedom to be myself on the court.\u201d\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6584\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-08-09T20:35:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6584#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6584\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\"},\"headline\":\"Warriors legends mourn Don Nelson, the man behind Run TMC and ‘We Believe’ teams\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-09T20:35:21+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6584\"},\"wordCount\":1256,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6584#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/3d98dede2fe5e41b2612b840f3f84f2a.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Sports\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6584#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6584\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6584\",\"name\":\"Warriors legends mourn Don Nelson, the man behind Run TMC and ‘We Believe’ teams - Next City Digest\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6584#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6584#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/3d98dede2fe5e41b2612b840f3f84f2a.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-09T20:35:21+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6584#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6584\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6584#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/3d98dede2fe5e41b2612b840f3f84f2a.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/3d98dede2fe5e41b2612b840f3f84f2a.webp\",\"width\":1694,\"height\":1309},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6584#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Warriors legends mourn Don Nelson, the man behind Run TMC and ‘We Believe’ teams\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Next City Digest\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Warriors legends mourn Don Nelson, the man behind Run TMC and ‘We Believe’ teams - Next City Digest","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6584","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Warriors legends mourn Don Nelson, the man behind Run TMC and ‘We Believe’ teams - Next City Digest","og_description":"\u201cNellie believed in me more than any coach I ever played for. He embraced me from Day 1,\" Stephen Jackson said. \"He understood me, trusted me and gave me the freedom to be myself on the court.\u201d","og_url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6584","og_site_name":"Next City Digest","article_published_time":"2026-08-09T20:35:21+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6584#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6584"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#\/schema\/person\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b"},"headline":"Warriors legends mourn Don Nelson, the man behind Run TMC and ‘We Believe’ teams","datePublished":"2026-08-09T20:35:21+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6584"},"wordCount":1256,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6584#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/3d98dede2fe5e41b2612b840f3f84f2a.webp","articleSection":["Sports"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6584#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6584","url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6584","name":"Warriors legends mourn Don Nelson, the man behind Run TMC and ‘We Believe’ teams - Next City Digest","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6584#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6584#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/3d98dede2fe5e41b2612b840f3f84f2a.webp","datePublished":"2026-08-09T20:35:21+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#\/schema\/person\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6584#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6584"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6584#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/3d98dede2fe5e41b2612b840f3f84f2a.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/3d98dede2fe5e41b2612b840f3f84f2a.webp","width":1694,"height":1309},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6584#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Warriors legends mourn Don Nelson, the man behind Run TMC and ‘We Believe’ teams"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/","name":"Next City Digest","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#\/schema\/person\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/nextcitydigest.com"],"url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6584","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6584"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6584\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6583"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6584"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6584"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6584"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}