Remembering Former Hawkeye and NBA Great Don Nelson

Don Nelson, a former Hawkeye basketball star who went on to become the second-winningest coach in NBA history, has died.

Remembering Don Nelson

Don Nelson, who was the second-winningest coach in NBA history and who won five NBA titles as a player with the Boston Celtics, has died. The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports that Nelson passed away Sunday at the age of 86. His family issued a statement saying that Nelson "peacefully went to be with the Lord, surrounded by his loving family."

From Iowa To The NBA

Born in Michigan, Nelson played his high school basketball in Rock Island, Illinois. The Gazette reports that he went on to play at the University of Iowa from 1959 to 1962. He averaged a double-double during his career at Iowa and left as the school's all-time leading scorer. He still ranks fourth with 1,522 points in 72 career games as a Hawkeye.

Nelson played 11 of his 14 seasons in the NBA with the Boston Celtics, winning five NBA championships. The Gazette reports that he began his coaching career as an assistant coach in Milwaukee. Nelson would go on to be one of the most successful head coaches ever in the NBA. The Gazette notes that Nelson is one of only two coaches to have won at least 250 games with three different NBA teams-Milwaukee, Dallas, and Golden State.

Nelson would be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012, according to the Gazette. In 2025, he received the NBA's Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award.

50 years after leaving the University of Iowa, Nelson graduated in 2012, according to the Gazette. He was inducted into the University of Iowa Athletic Hall of Fame in 1989.