On Sunday, former Golden State Warriors head coach Don Nelson was honored with an esteemed award from the NBA community. At Game 2 of the NBA Finals, Nelson was presented with the 2025 Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award.
According to the NBA, the award “honors the life of Hall of Fame coach Chuck Daly, who, over an outstanding NBA coaching career, set a standard for integrity, competitive excellence, and tireless promotion of NBA basketball.” The recipient of the award is determined by a selection committee of former coaches and executives.
Over 31 seasons on the sideline in the NBA, Nelson coached to the Milwaukee Bucks, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks. Nelson is one of only two coaches in NBA history to lead three teams to at least 250 wins. Nelson was named NBA Coach of the Year three times (1983, 1985 and 1992).
Nelson spent 11 seasons as the Warriors’ head coach, posting a 422-443 record, earning trips to the playoffs four times. Nelson was the architect of two memorable eras of Golden State basketball. Nelson helped form the “Run TMC” group with Chris Mullin, Tim Hardaway and Mitch Richmond. Nelson was also on the sidelines for Golden State’s “We Believe” playoff run in 2007.
Nelson used his acceptance of the award to protest the Mavericks’ trade of Luka Doncic. While accepting the award, Nelson wore Doncic’s latest signature shoe from Jordan as a form of protest. Nelson spent eight seasons as the coach of the Mavericks.
Nelson is the third member of the Golden State Warriors to earn the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award, joining Al Attles and Rick Adelman.
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