Don Nelson, Hall of Fame N.B.A. Coach and Celtics Star, Is Dead at 86
After being a star player on the Celtics, Don Nelson led several teams over a 31-year career . He was 86. by GLENN RIFKIN The New York Times - Martedì 11 agosto 2026 Don Nelson , who won five N.B.A. championship rings as a player with the Boston Celtics and went on to become an innovative and freethinking Hall of Fame head coach and one of the winningest in league history, died on Sunday at an assisted living facility in Frisco, Texas . He was 86. His health deteriorated after a stroke about three weeks ago, his granddaughter Christie Nelson Armstrong said. Nelson, whose N.B.A. playing and coaching careers spanned nearly 50 years , was an unlikely success story, both on the hardwood and on the sideline. Nellie , as he was called, was an undersized small forward and not particularly fast or athletic ; he was twice waived by N.B.A. teams before joining the Celtics in 1965 . But he became an integral part of a Boston dynasty. In his arsenal were a deadly jump sho...