Report: NBA coach Don Nelson officially retired
By THE SPORTS XCHANGE
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  Head coach Don Nelson of Golden State Warriors in the first half against the Minnesota Timberwolves during a basketball game at Target Center on April 7, 2010 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Hannah Foslien /Getty Images/AFP) |
Don Nelson, the NBA’s all-time winningest coach, reportedly said Saturday night he is officially done with coaching.
Nelson, who will be inducted next month into the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame, told NBA.com that his coaching career is over after spanning 34 years.
As late as last season, Nelson flirted with returning to the bench when he was a candidate for the head-coaching job with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The job went to Rick Adelman.
Nelson, 72, has coached for 30 seasons during 1976-2010 for teams, finishing his career with a second stint with the Golden State Warriors. He ended with 1,300 and was one of two coaches to be named NBA Coach of the Year three times (1982, ’85 and ’92).
His most famous coaching moment may have been in 2007 when he led the Warriors to a first-round upset of the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks — a team he had coached two years earlier.
His coaching career also included directing the U.S. to a gold medal in the 1994 World Championships.
As a player, he won five NBA titles with the Boston Celtics, with whom he played 11 of his 15 seasons.
