Don Nelson Was the NBA's Original Mad Scientist
Don Nelson, who died on August 9, 2026 at 86, was the godfather of small ball. Before the Warriors were a dynasty, they were a mess. And before they were a mess, Nelson showed up and made them interesting. That's the story everyone forgets when they talk about Golden State's rise — the Steph Curry era didn't come out of nowhere. It came out of the chaos Nelson created.
Nelson coached the Warriors twice, but the second stint (2006 to 2010) is the one that matters. He was already a legend — three Coach of the Year awards, the inventor of "Nellie Ball," the guy who popularized the point-forward and the small-ball lineup decades before anyone else. He won 1,335 NBA games as a coach, second all-time. He won five championships as a Boston Celtics player in the 1960s and 70s, back when he was a scrappy forward who could shoot. He coached Run TMC — Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond, and Chris Mullin — in the early 90s, one of the most fun teams of that era.
When he came back to Golden State in 2006, the Warriors were bad and boring. Nelson immediately made them neither. He benched big men, played shooters, ran the offense through Baron Davis, and let Stephen Jackson do whatever Stephen Jackson wanted. It was chaotic. It was fun. It worked, sometimes.
The 2007 "We Believe" Upset
This is the moment. The 2006-07 Warriors went 42-40, barely made the playoffs as the 8 seed, and drew the 67-win Dallas Mavericks in the first round. Dallas had Dirk Nowitzki, the MVP. Nobody gave Golden State a chance.
Nelson had coached Dirk in Dallas. He knew the Mavericks inside out. He threw a zone at Nowitzki, sped the game up, and let Baron Davis go nuclear. The Warriors won in six games. It's still one of the biggest upsets in NBA playoff history — the first time an 8 seed beat a 1 seed in a seven-game series.
The "We Believe" Warriors — Baron Davis, Stephen Jackson, Jason Richardson, Monta Ellis, Matt Barnes, Andris Biedrins — became cult heroes. Nelson built that team to play fast and loose, and for one spring, it was the most exciting basketball in the league.
How Nelson's Vision Became the Dynasty
Here's the part that connects Nelson to the Warriors you know now. Nellie Ball was the blueprint for small ball. Nelson was playing three-guard lineups and spacing the floor with shooters in 2007. He drafted Steph Curry in 2009 — everyone thought he was too small, and Nelson didn't care. He saw the future.
Nelson didn't stick around for the good part. He was gone by 2010, the Warriors went through Keith Smart and Mark Jackson, and then Steve Kerr took over in 2014. But the DNA was there. Kerr's system — the pace, the spacing, the small-ball death lineup with Draymond Green at center — is Nelson's philosophy refined and executed with better players.
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The Warriors won championships in 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2022. They revolutionized basketball. People credit Kerr and Steph and the front office, and they should. But Don Nelson planted the seed. He proved that a small, fast, shooting-heavy team could win. He just couldn't do it with the roster he had.
What People Actually Ask
How did Don Nelson die? He died on August 9, 2026, at 86. He'd been living in Hawaii in retirement. The NBA world paid tribute immediately — Steve Kerr, who inherited and refined Nelson's small-ball vision in Golden State, spoke about his influence. Steph Curry, the player Nelson drafted and championed when everyone else doubted, acknowledged the debt. Without Nelson's belief in a small guard from Davidson, Curry might not have been a Warrior at all.
How many games did Don Nelson win? 1,335 as a head coach, second all-time. He also won five championships as a Celtics player.
Did he ever win a championship as a coach? No. That's the hole on his resume. He's in the Hall of Fame (inducted 2012), he's one of the most influential coaches in basketball history, and he never won a ring as a coach. The ideas he pioneered won championships for other people.
What was Run TMC? Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond, and Chris Mullin — the three-guard core Nelson coached in Golden State in the early 90s. They were fast, they scored in bunches, and they were the original version of what Nelson's offense would become. They just didn't have the defense to go with it.
Where to Watch the History
If you want to revisit the We Believe era, YouTube has the full Game 6 against Dallas. For the modern Warriors, NBA League Pass carries the current season. ESPN+ runs 30 for 30 documentaries, and the one on the Warriors' run is solid.
Don Nelson never won a championship as a coach. But he built the ideas that won them. He died on August 9, 2026, and the game lost its original mad scientist. His legacy is bigger than most rings.
