Since Steph Curry joined the Golden State Warriors 17 years ago, they have been the blueprint for success in the NBA. But according to one of Curry’s former teammates, the team would have had the same level of success even without him.
“If you switched me and Steph out with the team that won championships, it’d be the same thing,” Ellis told ESPN. “So you’ve got to take the good with the bad, and that’s cool. It put me in a position to make money for me and my family.
“I ran with that.”
Monta Ellis said the Warriors would’ve had the same success with him as they have with Steph Curry.
Ellis was selected by the Warriors in the second round of the 2005 NBA Draft and played with the team until 2012, when he was traded in the middle of the season to the Milwaukee Bucks.
During his first six seasons with Golden State, Ellis averaged 35.7 minutes, 19.6 points, 4.4 assists, and 3.7 rebounds per game. He won the NBA’s Most Improved Player in 2007. But the franchise was unable to break through during his tenure by the bay.
“Real people that know basketball and all that, …They know the team that I was dealt with.”
Ellis’ career went on to last another six years, during which he still saw regular time as a starter for the Bucks, Dallas Mavericks and Indiana Pacers.
The Warriors only made the playoffs once during his tenure in Golden State, losing in the second round of the Western Conference playoffs to the Utah Jazz.
Meanwhile, Curry was selected seventh overall by the Warriors in the 2009 NBA Draft and saw regular playing time during his first two seasons.
Monta Ellis said the Warriors would’ve had the same success with him as they have with Steph Curry. NBAE via Getty Images
He would go on to revolutionize the sport of professional basketball. Today’s NBA is a direct consequence of Curry’s ability to stretch the floor and shoot from anywhere. Very few people in history have had the type of impact Curry has, let alone Monta Ellis.
Curry, alongside Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, would go on to win four NBA titles. Ellis, on the other hand, did not garner a single All-Star nomination throughout his career.
Dirk Nowitzki and Luka Doncic have joined the basketball world in mourning the death of Don Nelson.
Nelson, the second-winningest coach in NBA history and a prominent Mavericks figure, died on Sunday at the age of 86.
“On Sunday morning our beloved husband, dad, grandfather and great-grandfather Don Nelson peacefully went to be with the Lord, surrounded by his loving family,” Nelson’s family said in a statement, according to long-time NBA reporter Marc Stein, who is connected closely to Dallas.
The Dallas Morning News reported that Nelson suffered a stroke a few weeks ago and had been admitted to hospice during his recovery.
“Throughout his last week, friends and family encircled him with love, sharing the blessing of his friendship and revisiting treasured memories,” the family statement continued.
Don Nelson passed away on Aug. 9 at 86. NBAE via Getty Images
Nowitzki wrote an emotional tribute to Nelson, who was his first and longtime NBA coach.
“Nellie… You didn’t just draft me. You believed in me,” Nowitzki wrote on X. “You saw things in my game before I ever realized I could do them. I’ve said it a million times and I will always say it: I don’t 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. For everything.”
Nelson was hired as the Mavericks’ head coach and general manager ahead of the 1997-98 season and is credited with the development of Dirk Nowitzki, controversially selected No. 9 overall in the 1998 NBA Draft, and Steve Nash, whom the Mavs acquired prior to the 1998-99 season after he flopped in Phoenix for the first two seasons of his career.
Don Nelson (center) drafted Dirk Nowitzki (41) and traded for Steve Nash (13) in 1998 while general manager and head coach of the Mavericks. NBAE via Getty Images
Doncic, who played for the Mavs from 2018 until he was infamously traded in early February 2025 to the Los Angeles Lakers, reflected on Nelson’s legacy in a social media post. Nelson was team president when Dallas traded for him on draft night.
“It’s a sad day for basketball with the passing of Don Nelson,” Doncic wrote on X. “I have so much respect for him and everything he did for the game, especially the way he believed in international players. I’m grateful for the time I spent with him. Thinking of the entire Nelson family today. I loved getting to know you, Coach.”
It’s a sad day for basketball with the passing of Don Nelson.
I have so much respect for him and everything he did for the game, especially the way he believed in international players. I’m grateful for the time I spent with him.
Before becoming one of basketball’s great coaching innovators, Nelson spent 14 seasons as an NBA player and won five championships with the Celtics.
He later became much more accomplished from the sideline.
Nelson coached 31 seasons in the NBA, leading the Bucks, Warriors, Knicks and Mavericks.
He finished with 1,335 regular-season victories, which stood as the league record until Gregg Popovich surpassed him in 2022.
Nelson remains second on the NBA’s all-time coaching wins list and was named NBA Coach of the Year three times before eventually being inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012.
Basketball: Brooklyn Nets Paul Pierce (34) standing in front of logo at center court during preseason game vs Boston Celtics at Barclays Center. Brooklyn, NY 10/15/2013 CREDIT: Guillermo Hernandez Martinez (Photo by Guillermo Hernandez Martinez /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images) (Set Number: X157074 TK1 R1 F88 )
Now, with most roster spots — even two-ways — filled and families getting ready for long-delayed vacations, things naturally get less busy. Mobile devices are still turned on but there’s less to talk about, particularly with Brooklyn whose off-season was mostly about one big trade, for Julius Randall, one big draft pick, in Mikel Brown Jr. and one big summer league surprise, Egor Demin. Free agency, which is becoming less of a big deal around the league, saw the Nets add some pieces — Moe Wagner and Keon Ellis, extend couple of others — Day’Ron Sharpe and Josh Minott, and bid farewell to Jalen Wilson, Ziaire Williams and Tyson Etienne.
Might they be part of some end-of-summer trade, if not a player? Sure, but that’s not what’s expected.
So we’re left as we often are this time of year tracking what’s going on with the players under contract, and there’s been a little bit of news, most of it far away from Brooklyn.
The big gathering was in L.A. as the players’ union, the NBPA, opened a west coast training center in an old Clippers training facility. A number of Nets were on hand for the inauguration of the union’s second players facility, the other in midtown Manhattan not far from Rockefeller Plaza.
We counted MPJ, Tre Mann, Drake Powell and Danny Wolf. Porter Jr. looked healthy and solid and Drake Powell (in the red shorts) was making shots and being aggressive. We don’t know if there were others out of camera range or if we missed any in quickly perusing IG videos. Nor do we know why so many Nets, none of them with SoCal roots, were in L.A. for the opening. In the past, Nets players have gathered near L.A. for self-organized training and bonding sessions. Could that be happening this summer as well?
Meanwhile, Day’Ron Sharpe is back home after an event-filled couple of weeks that saw him get engaged (congratulations!) in Puerto Rico…
… then move on to China — Shanghai, Huangzhou and Hong Kong — with Nets legend Kenyon Martin and assistant coach Juwan Howard (a former teammate of Yao Ming) on a team-organized tour…
… as well as with team sponsors in China and events with the “Cheer Nets,” the Chinese version of the Brooklynettes dance team that promotes the Nets at events across the PRC. They also visited the Huangzhou headquarters of Alibaba, which is headed by Joe Tsai, and an Asian University Basketball League championship game, also in Huangzhou, where Sharpe offered commentary. The league which seeks to replicate the NCAA at universities across the Asia was co-founded and financed by Tsai. Everyone eats.
Meanwhile, someone caught the back seat of Moe Wagner on his more quotidian European vacation, featuring the family dog and a vintage New Jersey Nets cap…
As our Bryan Fonseca noted both in 2018 and we reiterated after he signed with the Nets, a Wagner-Brooklyn mash-up has been in the stars for a while…
Before 2018 Draft, Wagner and those in his inner circle seemed to have an affinity for Brooklyn. During Michigan’s Big 10 run that year, his family arrived at MSG wearing Brooklyn gear. He also said in an interview that he roots for Nets over Knicks. Home.
We’ve also heard Wagner has been living in Brooklyn for a while.
Look Back
Earlier this week, the Nets released a nearly 1o-minute video retrospect on the Nets Summer League team in Las Vegas, focused on Egor Demin’s bonding with the Nets three rookies — Mikel Brown Jr., Joshua Jefferson and Tyler Bilodeau — whether on the court or out at a golf range.
There’s also some fun talk and video about Bilodeau’s family history with hockey, his father Brent’s career as a physical defender in the pro hockey circuits.
A couple of pieces of news about the Summer League we picked up recently. We know we’ve mentioned that Jefferson, the 6’9” senior point forward out of Iowa State, is seen as a steal by Brooklyn brass at No. 28. It’s an assessment that’s unchanged despite a lackluster performance in Las Vegas.
Jefferson couldn’t play, scrimmage or practice with Brooklyn at all until the Julius Randle-for-Nic Claxton deal was made official on July 9 so he got a pass. But don’t be surprised if you hear down the line, as we have of late, that that the Nets wanted the exchange of picks in that three team trade specifically so they could take JJ. The Nets had the No. 33 pick, at the top of the second round, before the trade … but believed Jefferson might not be there. So they attached the swap of the Nets No. 33 for the Timberwolves No. 28 in the deal. They believe that Jefferson fell in large part because he was a 22-year-old, four-year senior.
The other is more an interesting look at how the NBA at large can be at a disadvantage when offering Exhibit 10s to NCAA players with a year of eligibility left. The Nets recruited Duke Brennan, a solid 6’10” Villanova big man, to play for their Summer League squad. He didn’t play much in Sacramento or Las Vegas but was rumored to be a candidate for an Exhibit 10 deal with Brooklyn.
An Exhibit 10 contract can mean a training camp invite but it can also be a way for teams to populate their G League squads with prospects. A player signs an Exhibit 10, gets cut and immediately moves to the G League training center. Financially, a G League player on an Exhibit 1o can make about $135,000 a year max: the standard G League contract — a bit less than $50,000 — plus a bonus of up to $85,000 if they stick around the G for 60 days. (Our Connor Long reports that while some teams will try to negotiate that figure down, the Nets do not, providing the full bonus to all their Exhibit 10 deals.)
But Brennan has NCAA eligibility left and so, according to reports, at least five schools would like to add him — and pay him NIL money which could reach seven figures easily. At this point, it look like Brennan will return to school a richer man than if he joined the pros.
Meet and Greet
Last week, the 76ers moved their press conference introducing Jaylen Brown from the 76ers practice facility which is located across the Delaware from Camden, N.J. to the Francis J. Myers Recreation Center in West Philadelphia where dozens of children were ready to greet him. They formed a line to slap fives with the player who arguably will be their team’s best this season…
The Nets did it when they introduced their three rookies in early July at their Brooklyn Basketball Training Center also with a line of enthusiastic kids…
Nets did same thing in introducing their three draft picks last month, moving presser to Brooklyn Basketball Center from HSS Training Center. Picks were greeted by 85 kids at youth training facility across from Barclays. https://t.co/MYdy6fqK5Upic.twitter.com/VE8PhNMOPt
The rationales may be different — the 76ers training facility where pressers are usually held is divorced from either community — Camden or Philadelphia — while the Nets training facility is in a century-old industrial park on the Brooklyn waterfront but not far from Sunset Park and other Brooklyn neighborhoods. Traditionally, press conferences around the NBA are held without an audience, particularly kids.
Are we seeing a league trend to bring players closer to their younger fans? For the Nets of course, it’s their strategy: generational fandom — screw the proliferation of Knicks jerseys! Still, every team should be trying to break through what many see as the economic stratification of fandom brought on high prices for everything from tickets to concessions to team gear to streaming services to paywalls for sports pages. No one is hurt more by that stratification than youngsters.
The 76ers portrayed the decision to switch venues as Brown’s desire to get closer to the fans than he could have at a traditional press conference, particularly in Camden. The Nets would only say a presser in front of enthusiastic youngsters was more “festive.” It certainly wasn’t unscripted.
Several of the youngsters were already outfitted with the three rookies’ jerseys just days after the rooks were drafted. After YES Network and NBC Sports’ Noah Eagle asked his questions, the kids, sitting in a semi-circle, got their chance, all of it choreographed. The rooks and Sean Marks then adjourned to a back room where the media asked their questions in a more informal setting than usual. Nothing was lost.
So we’ve now seen it twice. Once more and we’ll declare it a trend.
NBA Schedule comes out this week
We don’t know the day, but the NBA schedule will finally be released. For Nets fans, who are not going to play on Christmas and their national games will probably be counted on one hand, maybe one finger, the big news will be when they open, against who and where; the home opener, and when they will be playing the NBA champion New York Knicks. Remain strong.
The impact of Nelson’s death has already been felt by players and coaches around the league, including Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr, Steph Curry and Tim Hardaway.
NBA players, including Steph Curry, and coaches, including Steve Kerr, reacted to Don Nelson’s death Sunday. New York Post
“Don Nelson was a true innovator whose influence on the game of basketball is still felt today. He consistently challenged conventional thinking, experimented with different lineups and styles of play and saw possibilities in the game that others did not,” Kerr said, from NBA insider Marc Stein’s report. “So much of what is now commonplace in the modern NBA can be traced back to the way Nellie approached the game. His impact on the Warriors is just as significant.”
Steve Kerr (above) said Nelson shaped some of the most memorable teams and moments in Warriors history. San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images
Kerr said Nelson shaped some of the most memorable teams and moments in Warriors basketball history when he coached the team from 1988-1995 and during a second stint from 2006-2010.
During Nelson’s time coaching the Warriors, he led them to the playoffs six times and became the NBA’s all-time winningest coach in 2010. He eventually moved to second on that list in 2022, when Gregg Popovich surpassed his victory total. Nelson won 1,335 regular-season games, and Popovich tallied 1,390.
Steph Curry (above) said Nelson played a big role in brining Curry to Golden State. Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock
Curry, who had a long-lasting relationship with Nelson, said Nelson was one of the biggest reasons he was drafted by the Warriors.
“The story is he never liked rookies, but from Day 1 he challenged me and gave me an opportunity to be my best self on the court. He taught me a lot during our one season together [2009-2010], and I’ll never forget the night he became the winningest coach in NBA history in Minnesota,” Curry said. “We were so happy for him. He had an immeasurable impact on the sport and will go down as one of the greatest minds in the history of the game.”
Curry said Nelson is a true icon of basketball and said he will be dearly missed, sending his love and condolences to his family.
Hardaway played under Nelson twice in his career, when he was a member of the Warriors from 1989-1996 and with the Dallas Mavericks from 2001-2002.
Hardaway said Nelson meant so much to him “as a coach and as a person.”
“Nellie believed in me from the beginning and gave me the confidence and freedom to play my game. I’ll always be grateful for the opportunity he gave me and the special years we shared with Run TMC,” Hardaway said of his on-court pairing with Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin. “Nellie was ahead of his time, and there was nobody else like him. He had an incredible impact on my career and on the game of basketball. I’m going to miss him, and my thoughts and prayers are with Joy, Donnies, and the entire Nelson family.”
LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 20: the sneakers of KJ Simpson #25 of the Charlotte Hornets against the Sacramento Kings during the 2025 NBA Summer League Championship game on July 20, 2025 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Don Nelson, the second-winningest coach in NBA history who won five championships as a player with the Boston Celtics, died Sunday. He was 86.
Nelson’s death was announced by the Golden State Warriors, one of the teams he coached.
Nelson is one of two coaches in NBA history to have at least 250 wins with three different franchises — Milwaukee, Dallas and Golden State — also serving as general manager for all three franchises. He was a three-time coach of the year and made the playoffs 18 times in 31 seasons. He went to the conference finals three times with the Bucks and once with the Mavericks, never winning a title.
Nelson introduced what is now known as the point forward, and his up-tempo style of offense created a buzz. He said the idea of shifting from the dominant big men of the 1970s to an offense focused on speed and the fast break came from his playing days under Celtics Hall of Fame coach Red Auerbach.
Nelson played 11 of his 14 seasons in Boston and was on five Celtics championship teams under four different coaches. He became an assistant coach in Milwaukee after retiring as a player, then took over after coach Larry Costello resigned 18 games into the 1976-77 season. Nelson coached the Bucks for 11 seasons starting in 1976 and won seven straight division titles.
His fast-paced offenses were probably best on display with Golden State in the “Run TMC” era featuring future Hall of Famers Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin. Nelson said he wanted them on the court at the same time.
Nelson spent 11 seasons over two stints with Golden State. The first one was punctuated by a rift with rookie star Chris Webber, who was traded away a month into his second season. Nelson, demoralized by the trade, missed nine games that season due to illness and resigned under pressure three months later in February 1995.
In between, Nelson was fired after less than one season in New York in 1995-96, then coached in Dallas for eight seasons, missing 21 games with the Mavericks starting in December 2000 to recuperate from prostate cancer surgery.
Nelson’s son, Donnie, joined his father as an assistant coach with the Mavericks in 1998, later became general manager and remained with the organization until 2021. Together they persuaded 20-year-old German star Dirk Nowitzki to pass up European basketball and join the Mavericks. Don Nelson also developed Steve Nash into one of the NBA’s top point guards before Nash went on to win back-to-back MVPs with the Phoenix Suns in 2005 and 2006.
At Golden State, Nelson’s “We Believe” Warriors led by Baron Davis upset Nowitzki and the top-seeded Mavericks in the first round of the 2007 playoffs in one of the biggest shockers in NBA history. In his final season as a coach, Nelson mentored rookie Stephen Curry in 2009-10.
Nelson retired as the NBA’s career coaching wins leader with 1,335, just ahead of Lenny Wilkens’ 1,332. Nelson kept that top spot for nearly 12 years before close friend and now-retired San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich passed him in March 2022.
The NBA community is mourning the death of Hall of Fame player and coach Don Nelson.
Nelson, who won five championships as a member of the Boston Celtics and then became one of the sport's winningest coaches, died Sunday, Aug. 9, at the age of 86.
The Warriors issued a statement on their official Instagram account calling Nelson "an iconic figure in Warriors history" for his 11 seasons with Golden State.
"He was a true basketball visionary who saw the game differently and was never afraid to challenge conventional thinking," the post read, in part. "His approach helped shape the game and paved the way for generations of players and coaches who followed."
Steph Curry on Nelson
Warriors point guard Stephen Curry only played for Nelson for one season, but said he was "one of the big reasons I was drafted by the Warriors."
“The story is he never liked rookies," Curry said in a statement, "but from Day 1 he challenged me and gave me an opportunity to be my best self on the court ...
"He had an immeasurable impact on the sport and will go down as one of the greatest minds in the history of the game. He’s a true icon and will be missed by the countless number of people he touched, including myself, during a legendary career.”
Dirk Nowitzki flourished under Nelson
As general manager of the Dallas Mavericks, Nelson was the driving force behind the draft-day trade in 1998 that brought Dirk Nowitzki to the Mavs.
He went on to a Hall of Fame career, spending every one of his 21 seasons in a Mavericks uniform.
"Nellie… You didn't just draft me. You believed in me," Nowitzki posted on X. "You saw things in my game before I ever realized I could do them. I've said it a million times and I will always say it: I don't 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."
Nellie… You didn't just draft me. You believed in me. You saw things in my game before I ever realized I could do them. I've said it a million times and I will always say it: I don't think my career could have turned out how it did without you being my first coach and giving me…
The veteran forward is already beginning to move past the celebration of the franchise’s championship season as he prepares for the 2026-27 campaign, his 10th in the NBA.
Anunoby played an instrumental role in New York winning its first NBA championship since 1973, providing the high-level two-way production that has defined his career while also delivering the title run’s signature moment: a miracle game-winning tip-in with 1.2 seconds left in Game 4 of the Finals as the Knicks erased a 29-point deficit.
OG Anunoby (8) makes a game-winning tip-in after crashing the offensive boards against the San Antonio Spurs during Game 4 of the 2026 NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden. The win gave the Knicks a 3-1 series lead. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
But with the accomplishment now behind him, Anunoby indicated in an interview with Sky Sports that he is ready to turn the page rather than spend the offseason dwelling on what the team accomplished.
“It comes up quite a bit so I see it quite a bit,” the London-born Anunoby said while visiting the United Kingdom.
Asked if he gets the same feeling when watching it back, he replied, in classic Anunoby fashion: “No. I’m over it now.”
His reaction isn’t surprising, given that Anunoby has developed a reputation for hardly showing emotion, which has made him even more likable among Knicks fans.
Even after producing one of the most dramatic moments in recent NBA history, Anunoby has remained reserved about the attention surrounding him.
In describing what the title was like, Anunoby reflected on what it took to bring home New York’s first NBA title in 53 years.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Knicks forward OG Anunoby celebrate on a float during the championship ticker tape parade on June 18, 2026 in New York City. Getty Images
“Honestly, before the start of the playoffs, our whole team just came together and we knew we had one goal. We took every game day by day, game by game,” he said.
“We went on a crazy run. I don’t know how many games we won in a row (13) but every game was focused on the next, trying to build and be better than we were the last game. Even in the Finals, it was just day by day, game by game.”
Anunoby, who turned 29 in June, averaged 16.7 points per game while shooting 48.4 percent from the field, 38.6 percent from 3-point range and was named to the Second Team All-Defense for the second time in his career.
During the playoffs, Anunoby elevated to 20.1 points per game while shooting 56 percent from the field and about 49 percent from deep while also pulling down 6.3 rebounds per contest.
Anunoby, like Jalen Brunson, is extension eligible next season and his current deal runs through the 2027-28 season, with a player option in 2028-29.
UNITED STATES - APRIL 15: Basketball: Dallas Mavericks coach Don Nelson in huddle with team during game vs Minnesota Timberwolves, Dallas, TX 4/15/1999 (Photo by David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images) (SetNumber: X57707)
He will be remembered around the DFW area as a Dallas Mavericks coaching and front office legend, but as large as his presence loomed over the franchise he guided from utter dormancy to perennial power, the basketball moments Don Nelson authored outside of his time with the Mavericks will be remembered as his most lasting and impactful.
Nelson passed away at age 86 on Sunday. At the time of his passing, Nelson had been living full-time on Maui, Hawaii, specifically in a home overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Kihei. He had come a long way from Muskegon, Mich., where he was born on May 15, 1940, but his mileage in the game of basketball is rivaled only by an elite few. And he’d hate for his name to be mentioned in a sentence also occupied by the word “elite.”
“On Sunday morning our beloved husband, dad, grandfather and great-grandfather Don Nelson peacefully went to be with the Lord, surrounded by his loving family. Throughout his last week, friends and family encircled him with love, sharing the blessing of his friendship and revisiting treasured memories.”
Hall of Famer Don Nelson, three-time NBA Coach of the Year and five times a champion as a player with the Boston Celtics, has died at age 86.
The family has issued this statement:
“On Sunday morning our beloved husband, dad, grandfather and great-grandfather Don Nelson… pic.twitter.com/MkDMNugYcu
Nelson will be remembered as an innovator and a maverick, befitting the name of the franchise he coached from 1997-2005, a giant of the game he spent his life dedicated to and a fun-loving, unforgettable figure. He advocated for wildfire relief in Maui and for cannabis reform outside the game.
“People thought I was a mad scientist,” Nelson said in 2025 after receiving the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award by the NBA Coaches Association. “They may have been right.”
He arrived in Dallas in 1997, taking on the tall task of revitalizing a stagnant Mavericks franchise. He immediately jettisoned Oliver Miller, the overweight and chronically unhappy center. The brand of “Nellie Ball” he would introduce Mavericks fans to over the next nine seasons would help usher in a new, fast-paced style of play that coincided with the game’s growing globalization.
“I read where Miller said he doesn’t care anymore, and I don’t want people like that around,” Nelson said, according to the Los Angeles Times. “I don’t want anybody on my basketball team who doesn’t care.”
He was already the sixth-winningest NBA head coach ever when he came to Dallas, after being fired by the New York Knicks the year prior. He replaced Jim Cleamons as head coach late in the 1996-97 campaign.
“I thought I would be coming back to the NBA as a coach,” he told the Times. “Not many of these [general manager] jobs open up. I’m as surprised as anyone here.”
Nelson continued to surprise us all throughout his tenure as the Mavs’ coach and GM.
His first two seasons with the Mavericks were not successful, perhaps even steps back from the team’s 24-58 record in 1996-97, but as Dirk Nowitzki began to develop into the game-changing star that Mavs fans would come to know and love, Nelson’s stock, and his team’s, began to soar.
Nowitzki would go on to score 20.7 points and pull down 7.5 rebounds per game over his 21-year career with the Mavs, earning MVP honors for the 2006-07 season and leading the franchise to its first and only championship in 2011. Nowitzki posted his remembrance on X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday afternoon, saying:
“I don’t 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. For everything.”
Nellie… You didn't just draft me. You believed in me. You saw things in my game before I ever realized I could do them. I've said it a million times and I will always say it: I don't think my career could have turned out how it did without you being my first coach and giving me…
The Mavs went 40-42 in 1999-2000, then embarked on an 11-year run of 50 wins or more, the first five of which came under Nelson’s tutelage. His son and future Mavericks’ GM Donnie Nelson is credited with initially scouting and “discovering” the otherworldly talent hiding in Wurtzburg, Germany, and Don and Donnie did their best to hide Nowitzki’s raw, game-changing talent from other front offices early on in that process.
Don Nelson watched Nowitzki train for the first time at the Downtown Dallas YMCA, leading Nelson to call the future star “the most unbelievable young player” he had ever seen. He literally hid the teenage Nowitzki in his basement for a time before Nowitzki was drafted ninth overall by the team in 1998.
Nelson was also integral in point guard Steve Nash’s development. Nowitzki and Nash would lead the Mavericks to 57 wins in 2001-02 and 60 more the next year. Dallas would lose in the Western Conference Finals both seasons before Nash departed for Phoenix in the summer of 2004. Nash would go on to win NBA MVP honors in both 2004-05 and 2005-06.
Outside of his time with the Mavericks, Nelson will be remembered for scoring a Game 7-securing insurance bucket in the 1969 NBA Finals, when he played for Red Auerbach’s Boston Celtics. His shot from near the right elbow bounced high off the back of the rim and straight in, as if guided through the net by the basketball gods. It will be forever remembered as one of the biggest moments in late-game championship history.
“[Auerbach] called me up and said, ‘What do you think about Nelson?’” Tommy Heinsohn, Basketball Hall of Famer in the class of 1986 and Auerbach’s assistant, said. “I said, ‘This guy is slower than the turtle. But I’m going to tell you something, Red. He is a terrific offensive player. He can score.‘”
He would go on to win five championships as a player and three NBA Coach of the Year titles during his 31 seasons roaming the sidelines. Including his 14-year playing career, he spent 45 years in the professional game. He was a titan among titans. An icon who left an ever-lasting impact on every franchise he touched, from his start in Boston to his late coaching run with the Golden State Warriors, where he led the eight-seeded “We Believe” bunch to a first-round playoff win over his former team, the Mavericks, in the 2006-07 playoffs.
The Mavericks won 67 games that regular season, but that old rascal lovingly known as Nellie knew a little something about how to bring down the team he had built into the best in the West.
He finished his coaching career with 1,335 coaching wins, which at the time of his retirement in 2010 was the most all-time. His 79 ejections during his 31-year coaching career are an unofficial record as well. You could never accuse Nelson of not caring.
Nelson made 18 playoff appearances as a coach, finishing with a 75-91 postseason record. San Antonio Spurs coaching legend Gregg Popovich passed his regular-season mark in 2022, and Popovich’s 1,390 still stands today.
The Nelson Family has also announced that there will be a celebration of life in tribute to Don Nelson on Thursday, Aug. 13, at Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church in Dallas. An ashes ceremony in Maui for friends and family will be confirmed at a future date, according to Stein.
The Nelson Family has also announced that there will be a Celebration of Life in tribute to Don Nelson on Thursday (Aug.13) at Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church in Dallas.
An ashes ceremony in Maui for friends and family will be confirmed at a future date.
Mavericks Governor Patrick Dumont released a statement shortly after the initial reports of Nelson’s passing, saying:
“Don Nelson was a true original whose impact on the Dallas Mavericks and the game of basketball will endure for generations. Nellie helped transform this franchise, bringing an innovative spirit, a belief in doing things differently and, most importantly, a winning culture to Dallas. His influence can be seen throughout Mavericks history and across the NBA today.
“On behalf of the entire Mavericks organization, our thoughts are with Don’s family, friends, former players and coaches, and the many people whose lives he touched. We are grateful for all he gave to the Mavericks and to the game he loved.”
Rest easy, Coach Nelson. The game you loved with every ounce of your soul mourns your loss today.
And now, he’s ante’d up at the Great Card Game in the Sky.
1999: Head Coach Don Nelson of the Dallas Mavericks shares a light moment with Mavericks rookie star forward Dirk Nowitzki during an NBA game circa 1999. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1999 NBAE (Photo by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
LOS ANGELES - OCTOBER 12: Head coach Don Nelson of the Golden State Warriors cracks a smile during the game against the Los Angeles Clippers on October 12, 2009 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The Clippers won 124-117. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2009 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The NBA world lost one of its greats on Sunday, as Hall of Famer Don Nelson has passed away at the age of 86. His family announced the news, saying, “On Sunday morning our beloved husband, dad, grandfather and great-grandfather Don Nelson peacefully went to be with the Lord, surrounded by his loving family. Throughout his last week, friends and family encircled him with love, sharing the blessing of his friendship and revisiting treasured memories.”
Nelson was a legendary figure with the Golden State Warriors and numerous other teams. After a collegiate career at Iowa, Nelson played briefly with the Chicago Zephyrs and Los Angeles Lakers before cementing his legacy with an 11-year tenure on the Boston Celtics, in which he won five NBA championships and had his No. 19 jersey retired.
In his first year after hanging up his sneakers, Nelson worked as an assistant coach for the Milwaukee Bucks, but was promoted to head coach just 18 games into the season. A year later, he took on double duty as both coach and general manager, and held both roles for more than a decade. He resigned in 1988 due to fractured relationship with Milwaukee’s owner.
That led to Nellie’s first stint with the Warriors. He took over as Golden State’s head coach in 1988, and coached for six seasons before resigning in February of 1995. With the Warriors, Nelson formed the famous Run TMC era, as Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond, and Chris Mullin became a fast-paced, free-wheeling, highly-entertaining trio.
After a brief stint coaching the New York Knicks, and eight years at the helm of the Dallas Mavericks, Nellie returned to the Warriors for the 2006-07 season. In his first year back in the Bay Area, Nelson formed built the deeply entertaining We Believe Warriors squad, when the eighth-seeded Dubs shocked the top-seeded Mavericks for one of the biggest upsets in NBA history.
Nelson continued coaching the Warriors through the 2009-10 season, which was Steph Curry’s rookie year, before resigning. It has been reported that Nelson was one of the strongest voices advocating for the Warriors to draft Curry, while many had questions about the future superstar’s ability to survive against the size and physicality of the NBA.
That was Nelson’s final year in the NBA, after which he retired to Maui where he was known for his celebrity-filled poker games and his marijuana farm.
Nelson, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012, finished his playing career with 10,898 points and five rings, and his coaching career with a 1,335-1,063 record, 18 playoff appearances, and three Coach of the Year honors (including in 1992 with the Warriors).
Don Nelson, the Hall of Famer who won five championships as a player before a decades-long coaching career that included a brief stint with the Knicks, died Sunday, his family said in a statement.
He was 86 years old. A cause of death wasn’t revealed.
“On Sunday morning our beloved husband, dad, grandfather and great-grandfather Don Nelson peacefully went to be with the Lord, surrounded by his loving family,” Nelson’s family said in a statement, according to NBA reporter Marc Stein. “Throughout his last week, friends and family encircled him with love, sharing the blessing of his friendship and revisiting treasured memories.”
Before his second career as a coach, where he notably helped jumpstart the careers of Dirk Nowitzki and Steph Curry, the 6-foot-6 Nelson starred for the Celtics. He won five titles in Boston while averaging 10.3 points and 4.9 rebounds across a 14-year playing career that also included stints with the Chicago Zephyrs — who drafted him in the third round of the 1962 draft out of Iowa — and the Lakers.
Don Nelson, a Hall of Fame coach who spent one season at the helm for the Knicks, has died. AFP via Getty Images
Nelson — whose coaching career began as an assistant with the Bucks in 1976 and stretched until his final season as head coach of the Warriors in 2009-10 — won 1,335 games as a head coach, which sits as the second-most in NBA history behind former Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. He earned the league’s Coach of the Year honor three times. He invented “Nellie Ball,” which embraced a smaller lineup based on speed, and made it acceptable to use a point-forward. “Most of all I wanted to have all my best players on the court at the same time — regardless of position,” Nelson wrote in an article in The Players’ Tribune in 2016.
That vision all started to take shape after landing his first chance as head coach during that first season in Milwaukee, when Larry Costello resigned in November 1976 after a 3-15 start.
“I expected to be an assistant at least two years, maybe longer, before trying for a head coaching job,” Nelson, just 36 years old at the time, said, according to the New York Times. “I don’t have the most experience in the world.”
But Nelson was never an assistant again. He served as the Bucks’ head coach until 1988, winning Coach of the Year twice — in 1983 and 1985 — and guiding Milwaukee to at least 50 wins across seven consecutive seasons. Then, after a season away from the sport, Nelson took over the Warriors for the 1988-89 campaign, staying in the Bay Area until his resignation in February 1995 with a 14-31 record. He earned his third and final Coach of the Year nod in 1992.
The Knicks hired him as their Pat Riley successor for the 1995-96 season, but Nelson was fired after just 59 games. He latched on with the Mavericks in 1997-98, though, and slowly started to restore their franchise. Dallas picked Nowitzki at No. 9 overall in the 1998 draft, and by the end of the 2000-01 campaign, the Mavericks were back in the playoffs.
Nelson’s final stint as a coach doubled as a reunion, as he took over a Warriors team that hadn’t cracked the postseason since his resignation. Golden State, as the No. 8 seed, upset the Mavericks in the first round of Nelson’s first season. And while they didn’t make the playoffs again before his exit in September 2010, he coached Curry during his rookie campaign — with Curry acknowledging in a statement Sunday that “one of the big reasons I was drafted by the Warriors” was because of Nelson.
Don Nelson won five NBA championships as a player with the Celtics. Getty Images
“The story is he never liked rookies,” Curry said in a statement, “but from Day 1 he challenged me and gave me an opportunity to be my best self on the court. … He had an immeasurable impact on the sport and will go down as one of the greatest minds in the history of the game. He’s a true icon and will be missed by the countless number of people he touched, including myself, during a legendary career.”
The Warriors, in a statement, described Nelson — who was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012 — as “a true basketball visionary who saw the game differently and was never afraid to challenge conventional thinking.” Chris Mullin, part of the “Run TMC” Golden State teams with Tim Hardaway and Mitch Richmond, said Nelson “was more than a coach to me.” Richmond said, in part, that Nelson “made the game fun.” Nowitzki credited Nelson with seeing “things in my game before I ever realized I could do them.”
“Nellie was ahead of his time,” Hardaway said in a statement, “and there was nobody else like him.”
Philadelphia was the biggest winner this offseason — landing Jaylen Brown and LeBron James to go with Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid — and with that, there are already a lot of news and rumors around the team heading into the season. Here are a few.
Brown threw phone when told of trade
Jaylen Brown is excited to be a 76er and chase a ring in Philadelphia.
That was not his initial reaction. Brown was drafted by Boston, won a championship there and had invested his time and money in the community. He didn't just show up to collect a paycheck. So, unsurprisingly, when he talked at his introductory press conference about getting the call that told him he was traded, he described frustration, with the quote via Noah Levick at NBC Sports Philadelphia.
"When I first (learned) I got traded, I just threw my phone across the room," he said with a laugh... "I think Maxey reached out to me first. He reached out and was like, 'I know it's a lot of stuff going on right now, but we're excited to have you.'"...
"There's been a lot of emotions," he said. "It's been a process. To be honest, I'm still processing to some degree. One, the excitement of coming to a new city, new place, new expectations, new energy. And then also leaving somewhere that you've been for a very, very long time."
One thing that will help with that will be workouts with teammates in the coming weeks, and eventually the start of training camp.
LeBron the connector
The expectation is that LeBron James will be the "point guard" for Philadelphia this season, although the better way to describe that may be that he will be the one initiating the offense.
"LeBron's a connector. That's the one thing about him. He fits every role you possibly can. He's gonna elevate everyone in the whole building...
"When LeBron was maybe a possibility, I went back and watched some of the Olympic tape with [Embiid] and LeBron. Those two played pretty well together. We have so many different options. Any given night anyone can be the guy. So I think once we get clicking and get gelling, it's gonna be fun to watch."
Gansey also was honest about needing the first domino to fall before LeBron would come.
"Without getting Jaylen, I don't think we get LeBron."
Veterans want to get in
The 76ers have 14 players on the roster heading into training camp, and that's likely where things will stay. Philadelphia is hard-capped at the first apron and is $1.8 million below that number as it stands, meaning they can't add even a veteran minimum deal right now.
Still, a couple of veterans are throwing their hats in the ring.
"Though the 6-foot-10 Love and James have remained close since teaming up for four seasons with the Cavaliers and even vacationed extensively together this summer, that bond doesn't necessarily mean there will be a roster spot for the former five-time All-Star by training camp."
Markieff Morris says that roster spot should be his.
Shiddd if it’s anybody getting that last Vet roster spot it’s gonna be me! Philly raised!!! https://t.co/QZPs25JKVR
Again, Philly would have to waive Jabari Walker, who is just partially guaranteed (that's not happening), or trade a player to have the cap space to sign anyone. Don't bet on it. This is the roster entering the season.
Don Nelson, the second-winningest coach in NBA history who won five championships as a player with the Boston Celtics, died Sunday. He was 86.
Nelson’s death was announced by the Golden State Warriors, one of the teams he coached. His family confirmed the death in a statement that did not how say where he died or provide a cause.
“On Sunday morning our beloved husband, dad, grandfather and great-grandfather Don Nelson peacefully went to be with the Lord, surrounded by his loving family,” the statement said. “Throughout his last week, friends and family encircled him with love, sharing the blessing of his friendship and revisiting treasured memories.”
Nelson is one of two coaches in NBA history to have at least 250 wins with three different franchises — Milwaukee, Dallas and Golden State — also serving as general manager for all three franchises. He was a three-time Coach of the Year and made the playoffs 18 times in 31 seasons. He went to the conference finals three times with the Bucks and once with the Mavericks, never winning a title.
Nelson introduced what is now known as the point forward, and his up-tempo style of offense created a buzz. He said the idea of shifting from the dominant big men of the 1970s to an offense focused on speed and the fast break came from his playing days under Celtics Hall of Fame coach Red Auerbach.
Nelson played 11 of his 14 seasons in Boston and was on five Celtics championship teams under four different coaches. He became an assistant coach in Milwaukee after retiring as a player, then took over after coach Larry Costello resigned 18 games into the 1976-77 season. Nelson coached the Bucks for 11 seasons starting in 1976 and won seven straight division titles.
In Nelson’s second season, Milwaukee overcame a 29-point fourth quarter deficit to beat Atlanta 117-115 in regulation.
“I coached the team as though I was still playing for the Celtics, while implementing a few of my own strategies,” Nelson wrote. “I knew I wanted to play unconventional basketball and use speed to my advantage.”
His fast-paced offenses were probably best on display with Golden State in the “Run TMC” era featuring future Hall of Famers Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin. Nelson said he wanted them on the court at the same time.
Nelson spent 11 seasons over two stints with Golden State. The first one was punctuated by a rift with rookie star Chris Webber, who was traded away a month into his second season. Nelson, demoralized by the trade, missed nine games that season due to illness and resigned under pressure three months later in February 1995.
In between, Nelson was fired after less than one season in New York in 1995-96, then coached in Dallas for eight seasons, missing 21 games with the Mavericks starting in December 2000 to recuperate from prostate cancer surgery.
Nelson’s son, Donnie, joined his father as an assistant coach with the Mavericks in 1998, later became general manager and remained with the organization until 2021. Together they persuaded 20-year-old German star Dirk Nowitzki to pass up European basketball and join the Mavericks. Don Nelson also developed Steve Nash into one of the NBA’s top point guards before Nash went on to win back-to-back MVPs with the Phoenix Suns in 2005 and 2006.
“Don Nelson was a true innovator whose influence on the game of basketball is still felt today,” current Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “He 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.”
At Golden State, Nelson’s “We Believe” Warriors led by Baron Davis upset Nowitzki and the top-seeded Mavericks in the first round of the 2007 playoffs in one of the biggest shockers in NBA history. In his final season as a coach, Nelson mentored rookie Stephen Curry in 2009-10.
“One of the big reasons I was drafted by the Warriors was because of Don Nelson. The story is he never liked rookies, but from Day 1 he challenged me and gave me an opportunity to be my best self on the court,” Curry said in a statement released by the Warriors. “He taught me a lot during our one season together and I’ll never forget the night he became the winningest coach in NBA history in Minnesota. We were so happy for him. He had an immeasurable impact on the sport and will go down as one of the greatest minds in the history of the game.”
Davis added: “When I think of Nellie, I’ll always think of the ‘We Believe’ team and our incredible run in 2007. He understood what made us go and made us believe we could beat anybody, ultimately helping us make history as the first No. 8 seed to defeat a No. 1 seed in a seven-game series. That time in my life and career was truly special, and Nellie was a huge part of making it possible.”
Nelson retired as the NBA’s career coaching wins leader with 1,335, just ahead of Lenny Wilkens’ 1,332. Nelson kept that top spot for nearly 12 years before close friend and now-retired San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich passed him in March 2022.
Nelson was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012. In 2025 he received the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by the National Basketball Coaches Association. Miffed that the Mavericks sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in a blockbuster trade, Nelson wore a pair of Doncic’s signature Jordan Brand sneakers to the awards ceremony. He called the trade a “tremendous mistake.”
Born in Muskegon, Michigan, Nelson attended high school in Rock Island, Illinois, and averaged a double-double in college at Iowa. He spent his retirement years living on the Hawaiian island of Maui and owned several short-term rentals on the island.
Don Nelson, the second-winningest coach in NBA history who won five championships as a player with the Boston Celtics, died Sunday. He was 86.
Nelson’s death was announced by the Golden State Warriors, one of the teams he coached. His family confirmed the death in a statement that did not how say where he died or provide a cause.
“On Sunday morning our beloved husband, dad, grandfather and great-grandfather Don Nelson peacefully went to be with the Lord, surrounded by his loving family,” the statement said. “Throughout his last week, friends and family encircled him with love, sharing the blessing of his friendship and revisiting treasured memories.”
Nelson is one of two coaches in NBA history to have at least 250 wins with three different franchises — Milwaukee, Dallas and Golden State — also serving as general manager for all three franchises. He was a three-time Coach of the Year and made the playoffs 18 times in 31 seasons. He went to the conference finals three times with the Bucks and once with the Mavericks, never winning a title.
Nelson introduced what is now known as the point forward, and his up-tempo style of offense created a buzz. He said the idea of shifting from the dominant big men of the 1970s to an offense focused on speed and the fast break came from his playing days under Celtics Hall of Fame coach Red Auerbach.
Nelson played 11 of his 14 seasons in Boston and was on five Celtics championship teams under four different coaches. He became an assistant coach in Milwaukee after retiring as a player, then took over after coach Larry Costello resigned 18 games into the 1976-77 season. Nelson coached the Bucks for 11 seasons starting in 1976 and won seven straight division titles.
In Nelson’s second season, Milwaukee overcame a 29-point fourth quarter deficit to beat Atlanta 117-115 in regulation.
“I coached the team as though I was still playing for the Celtics, while implementing a few of my own strategies,” Nelson wrote. “I knew I wanted to play unconventional basketball and use speed to my advantage.”
His fast-paced offenses were probably best on display with Golden State in the “Run TMC” era featuring future Hall of Famers Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin. Nelson said he wanted them on the court at the same time.
Nelson spent 11 seasons over two stints with Golden State. The first one was punctuated by a rift with rookie star Chris Webber, who was traded away a month into his second season. Nelson, demoralized by the trade, missed nine games that season due to illness and resigned under pressure three months later in February 1995.
In between, Nelson was fired after less than one season in New York in 1995-96, then coached in Dallas for eight seasons, missing 21 games with the Mavericks starting in December 2000 to recuperate from prostate cancer surgery.
Nelson’s son, Donnie, joined his father as an assistant coach with the Mavericks in 1998, later became general manager and remained with the organization until 2021. Together they persuaded 20-year-old German star Dirk Nowitzki to pass up European basketball and join the Mavericks. Don Nelson also developed Steve Nash into one of the NBA’s top point guards before Nash went on to win back-to-back MVPs with the Phoenix Suns in 2005 and 2006.
“Don Nelson was a true innovator whose influence on the game of basketball is still felt today,” current Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “He 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.”
At Golden State, Nelson’s “We Believe” Warriors led by Baron Davis upset Nowitzki and the top-seeded Mavericks in the first round of the 2007 playoffs in one of the biggest shockers in NBA history. In his final season as a coach, Nelson mentored rookie Stephen Curry in 2009-10.
“One of the big reasons I was drafted by the Warriors was because of Don Nelson. The story is he never liked rookies, but from Day 1 he challenged me and gave me an opportunity to be my best self on the court,” Curry said in a statement released by the Warriors. “He taught me a lot during our one season together and I’ll never forget the night he became the winningest coach in NBA history in Minnesota. We were so happy for him. He had an immeasurable impact on the sport and will go down as one of the greatest minds in the history of the game.”
Davis added: “When I think of Nellie, I’ll always think of the ‘We Believe’ team and our incredible run in 2007. He understood what made us go and made us believe we could beat anybody, ultimately helping us make history as the first No. 8 seed to defeat a No. 1 seed in a seven-game series. That time in my life and career was truly special, and Nellie was a huge part of making it possible.”
Nelson retired as the NBA’s career coaching wins leader with 1,335, just ahead of Lenny Wilkens’ 1,332. Nelson kept that top spot for nearly 12 years before close friend and now-retired San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich passed him in March 2022.
Nelson was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012. In 2025 he received the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by the National Basketball Coaches Association. Miffed that the Mavericks sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in a blockbuster trade, Nelson wore a pair of Doncic’s signature Jordan Brand sneakers to the awards ceremony. He called the trade a “tremendous mistake.”
Born in Muskegon, Michigan, Nelson attended high school in Rock Island, Illinois, and averaged a double-double in college at Iowa. He spent his retirement years living on the Hawaiian island of Maui and owned several short-term rentals on the island.
LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 24: From left, Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, Paul George and Kawhi Leonard during a press conference at the Green Meadows Recreation Center in Los Angeles on Wednesday, July 24, 2019. George and Leonard were introduced to the media and fans as the newest members of the Clippers. (Photo by Scott Varley/MediaNews Group/Daily Breeze via Getty Images) | MediaNews Group via Getty Images
As the Toronto Raptors patiently await the fate of Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers, here’s what sports history suggests could be in store for all parties involved.
Joe Smith precedent
The closest comparison is Joe Smith, who played 16 years in the NBA between 1995 and 2011. Before the 2000 season, it was discovered that Smith and the Minnesota Timberwolves had committed salary circumvention. The Timberwolves promised the forward a lucrative long-term deal if he agreed to three one-year contracts of $3 million each.
The league’s punishment mostly affected the franchise, rather than Smith. While Smith’s one-year contracts were voided, he didn’t have to pay anything back. He also lost his Bird Rights, which only affected Minnesota. However, in addition to a fine, the Timberwolves ultimately lost their first-rounders for the next three years. Timberwolves Owner Glenn Taylor and General Manager Kevin McHale were asked to leave the team until the following summer.
While there’s an obvious discrepancy in the amount of money involved, how the NBA handled the Smith debacle suggests that Leonard won’t have to pay a single percentage of the salary earned during his time in Los Angeles. Additionally, the Clippers could likely end up losing draft picks while receiving a fine.
If Leonard’s contract is voided, Raptors fans should consider that as the nightmare scenario. Toronto wouldn’t have the financial space to offer Leonard anywhere near his market value, and it’s likely the 2019 Finals MVP would prefer a team with a clean slate.
The Devil is in the details
If the NBA looks outside of its sandbox for guidance, the NHL rejected a deal between the New Jersey Devils and Ilya Kovalchuk during the 2010 off-season. The league concluded that the Devils’ 17-year, $102-million contract illegally circumvented the salary cap because of its back-end structure, despite other organizations using similar strategies.
The Devils were fined $3-million and forfeited a first-round pick, and a third-round pick.
The NFL had a similar experience when the league office punished the Denver Broncos in 2004 for salary cap circumvention between 1996-98. The details of the findings include the Broncos organization and their players agreeing to deferred payments. Denver won back-to-back Super Bowl titles in 1997 and 1998. The franchise was fined nearly $1-million and lost its third-round pick in the ensuing draft.
These examples further suggest that the Clippers could lose draft picks and receive financial penalties.
Suspensions
A majority of the suspensions in NBA history are due to physical altercations and incidents involving drugs or substances. Ron Artest’s involvement in Malice at the Palace (86 games), Latrell Sprewell’s altercation with Head Coach P.J. Carlesimo (68 games), and Gilbert Arenas’ locker room incident (50 games) are the three longest player suspensions. Meanwhile, former Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver (93 games) and Golden State Warriors minority owner Mark Stevens (65 games) served the longest suspensions for non-players.
If Leonard is suspended, it’s like that it ends up being anywhere from one to 30 games. Stephen Jackson (Malice at the Palace) and Miles Bridges (domestic violence) both received 30-game suspensions. While there isn’t precedent for salary circumvention, there have been rare suspensions for player conduct deemed detrimental to the team or league’s reputation. This includes two separate suspensions for Ja Morant with the Memphis Grizzlies (25 games, eight games), Kyrie Irving with the Brooklyn Nets (eight games), and Jimmy Butler with the Miami Heat (seven games).
