Rachel Fong

sire, it is not a revolt, it is a revolution.

[Rachel Fong @rayshellfong]

you and me, jet. it’ll always be you and me. promise me you won’t stray too far in the meantime. 🐾

[Luka Donkicks @LukaDonkicks]

Rest in peace to a basketball legend, Don Nelson. 🙏

Nelson had a storied career as both a player and coach, but after retiring in 2010, he was rarely seen in public.

During the 2025 NBA Finals, Nelson reappeared to receive the NBA’s Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award.

To accept the award, Nelson wore a pair of Jordan Luka 4 “Gone Fishing” as a show of support for Luka Dončić following his trade from the Mavericks.

📸: @NBA

[NHL Media @NHLMedia]

New team, same Quinn Hughes!

The @mnwild superstar and Olympic gold medal winner takes the penultimate spot on the Top 20 Defensemen Right Now list!

📺: #NHLTopPlayers on NHL Network

[Rachel Fong @rayshellfong]

https://t.co/tRWw6Y7SDl

[Clutch Numbers @ClutchNumbers]

@swish41 That says everything about Nellie's impact. He didn't just coach Dirk, he gave him the freedom and belief to become the player who changed what people thought a 7-footer could be.

[ysa @st4rryn1tee]

my unc is so awkward

[Rachel Fong @rayshellfong]

🤍🩶 Nellie and Donnie helped draft my favourite players of all time

[Luka Dončić @lukadoncic]

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.

Thinking of the entire Nelson family today. I loved getting to know you, Coach.

[New York Basketball @NBA_NewYork]

RIP Don Nelson

[Jason Richardson @jrich23]

RIP to one of my favorite coaches, Don Nelson. 🕊️🙏🏾
Nellie was truly one of a kind. I’ll always appreciate the opportunity I had to play for him and everything I learned from him in that short “We Believe” year. He saw basketball differently, trusted his players, and wasn’t afraid to do things his own way. Rest easy, Coach. Truly one of the greatest to ever do it! Your impact on the game will never be forgotten.

[Rachel Fong @rayshellfong]

rip nellie, thank you for making mavs basketball so fun for a huge past of my childhood

[Boston Celtics @celtics]

Don Nelson’s success as a Hall of Fame Coach is so vast, that it could overshadow his playing career, but it would be a mistake to do so. A favorite of Red Auerbach’s, “Nellie” was a tough and reliable all-around player whose tenacity and ability to “think the game” was on full display throughout his 11 seasons with the Boston Celtics, where he was a key member of five championship teams across two eras. His most celebrated moment as a player came in Game 7 of the 1969 NBA Finals against his former team the Los Angeles Lakers, when Nelson converted one of the most famous shots in playoff history—a foul-line jumper which dropped through the basket after hitting the back rim and bouncing several feet straight up. The shot, taken with just over a minute to go in the game and the Celtics clinging to a 103–102 lead, was an essential play in helping secure Boston's 11th NBA title in 13 seasons. Nellie’s number 19 was raised shortly after he retired following yet another championship season in 1976. The Celtics extend our deep condolences to Nelson’s family, loved ones, and everyone he touched through his rich and impactful life in basketball and beyond.

[Brad Townsend @townbrad]

I'm sure I can speak for the several hundred of us in Gilley's Dallas on June 15 that we now feel extra-fortunate to have been there to say thank you and, it turns out, goodbye to Don Nelson.

[MFFL NATION @NationMffl]

🙏💙

[Rachel Fong @rayshellfong]

don’t do that flea

[Flea @flea333]

Don Nelsons Warriors team beating the top ranked Mavericks was the funnest playoff series i ever saw that didnt include the lakers

[Mark Medina @MarkG_Medina]

Before Gregg Popovich's HOF induction, Don Nelson told me the full story about the $25,000 painting prank he pulled on Pop. https://t.co/Q0RjAtfTjs

[Rachel Fong @rayshellfong]

🕊️🕊️

[Dirk Nowitzki @swish41]

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 freedom to play my game. I can only say THANK YOU. For everything.

RIP legend.

[Dirk Nowitzki @swish41]

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 freedom to play my game. I can only say THANK YOU. For everything.

RIP legend.

[MFFL @Mavs_FFL]

RIP to a legend, Don Nelson 🙏

Praying for his family

#MFFL

[👑 Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson @ScoopB]

The passing of Don Nelson hits deep across the NBA, but Jason Terry’s words remind us of "Nellie's" true legacy.

"I started to lose the love for the game... Don brought the love and the joy back to basketball for me."

Beyond the 1,335 wins and revolutionary tactics, Nelson changed lives off the floor and revived the passion in his players.

Rest in peace to a true legend. 🕊️🏀

🔗More Here: https://t.co/BSHC3sdzUH

[Jason Gallagher @jga41agher]

One of the first NBA games I ever saw in person, Don Nelson punted a basketball. The crowd went nuts. We all freaking loved it. RIP to a king.

[Dallas Mavericks @dallasmavs]

“Don Nelson was one of the driving forces of a basketball era that shaped us. He saw the game differently, challenged convention and trusted his instincts. That influence went far beyond the teams he coached. He certainly influences the way I see the game.

Nellie’s impact on basketball, on the Mavericks and on so many of us who came through the game during that time is extraordinary. My thoughts are with the entire Nelson family.” -Masai Ujiri