‘Uniquely Nellie’: Dallas Mavericks To Honor Don Nelson With Nellie Night Nov. 18 Against Golden State Warriors

DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks will hold “Nellie Night” for Hall of Fame coach Don Nelson on Wednesday, Nov. 18, when they host the Golden State Warriors at American Airlines Center, the team announced Thursday. Nelson died Aug. 9 in Frisco. He was 86.

Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m. CT. ESPN will carry the game nationally, and it will also air locally on KFAA29 and MavsTV+ and on radio on 105.3 The Fan and ZonaMX 99.1. Tickets are on sale at Mavs.com/Tickets.

The first 10,000 ticketed fans in the arena will receive a commemorative deck of playing cards inspired by Nelson. During pregame warmups, Mavericks players will wear special Nellie shooting shirts. The in-arena program is scheduled to include tributes, storytelling about Nelson’s Mavericks tenure, and contributions from his family, former players, coaches, and friends. The team said more details are coming in the next few weeks.

Nelson was a well-known animal lover. In his name, the Mavericks will donate $25,000 to the Humane Society of North Texas.

In the team’s announcement, Mavericks CEO Rick Welts said Nelson’s personality and the relationships he built over decades are part of what the organization plans to celebrate.

“Don Nelson helped change the trajectory of the Dallas Mavericks and left an imprint on this organization that remains part of who we are today,” Welts said. “But Nellie’s impact went well beyond wins and losses. He had an unmistakable personality, formed relationships that lasted decades and helped create one of the most memorable eras in Mavericks history.”

“We look forward to celebrating him in a way that feels personal, meaningful, and uniquely Nellie,” Welts continued.

Don Nelson’s Eight Seasons In Dallas

Nelson arrived as the Mavericks’ general manager on Feb. 7, 1997, and coached the team from 1997 to 2005. On draft night, June 24, 1998, he acquired Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash. Both went on to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Nash in 2018 and Nowitzki in 2023.

As head coach, Nelson went 339-251 in Dallas. The Mavericks made four consecutive playoff appearances and won at least 50 games in four straight seasons from 2000-01 through 2003-04. His 339 wins rank second in franchise history behind former Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle’s 555.

His son, Donnie Nelson, joined the staff as an assistant coach in 1998 and later succeeded him as general manager. Nelson stepped down as head coach on March 19, 2005, and turned the team over to assistant Avery Johnson.

Nelson moved from his longtime home in Maui to Frisco early this year, his family said. On June 15 at Gilley’s in Dallas, he received the James Naismith Family Legacy Award at a Sports Power Brokers event, accepting it from Naismith’s great-granddaughter Margaret Naismith Yonker, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported. Nelson told the crowd he felt a lot of love in the room.

“I feel great,” Nelson said that night. “I feel like I’m the luckiest guy in the room. I’ve had a life in which I coached and played and general managed in the league for almost 50 years.”

“It’s good to be back in Texas,” Nelson added. “I moved back here about six months ago and I’m having the time of my life.”

Nowitzki was in the crowd at Gilley’s that night. He said Nelson gave him a lot of confidence at the start of his career.

“Don the legend; happy to be here for him,” Nowitzki said. “He was obviously the guy that jump-started my career.”

“He gave me a lot of confidence. His way of seeing basketball, with the whole mismatch and shooting, just played into my hands,” Nowitzki continued. “I’ve always said if I would have had another coach, if I would have gone to another team, things could have worked out a lot differently. Nellie was just the perfect coach for me, to start my career here.”

On Aug. 13, Nash and Michael Finley spoke at Nelson’s celebration of life at Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church. Nash also read a letter from Nowitzki, who was in Europe.

Nelson’s Warriors Ties And Hall Of Fame Career

Nelson coached Golden State twice, from 1988-95 and again from 2006-10. In his second stint, the eighth-seeded Warriors beat the 67-win, top-seeded Mavericks in the first round of the 2007 playoffs. Golden State became the first No. 8 seed to eliminate a No. 1 seed in a seven-game series.

The Warriors announced on Aug. 26 that they will wear a “Nellie” band on their uniforms throughout the 2026-27 season. It sits above the IREN badge on the upper left side of the jersey.

Nelson won 1,335 regular-season games over 31 seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks, the Warriors, the New York Knicks, and the Mavericks. That total ranks second in NBA history behind longtime Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who was once Nelson’s assistant. He won 540 games in Milwaukee, 422 with Golden State, and 339 in Dallas. Nelson and Lenny Wilkens are the only coaches with at least 300 wins at three different franchises.

With Milwaukee, Nelson won NBA Coach of the Year in 1982-83 and again in 1984-85, and he won it a third time with Golden State in 1991-92. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inducted him with its Class of 2012. During the league’s 75th anniversary season in 2021-22, he was named to the list of the 15 greatest coaches in NBA history. Before Game 2 of the 2025 NBA Finals in Oklahoma City, he accepted the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award.

Before coaching, Nelson played 14 NBA seasons, 11 of them with the Boston Celtics, and won championships in Boston in 1966, 1968, 1969, 1974, and 1976. In Game 7 of the 1969 NBA Finals, with the Celtics up one, his jumper from the free-throw line bounced high off the back of the rim and dropped through. Boston retired his No. 19 in 1978.