Don Nelson was a visionary for how the sport of basketball evolved into what it is today.
One of the most significant figures in Dallas Mavericks history received a lifetime achievement award from the family responsible for the creation of basketball.
Longtime coach Don Nelson was honored this week with the Naismith Legacy Award in recognition of his contributions to sport.
"Our recipient became an awesome coach because he saw the average player and saw what he could do and succeed at and he put him in positions where he could succeed and the team would do well," said Margaret Naismith Yonker, the great-granddaughter of James Naismith, the inventor of the sport of basketball.
"And he also gave back to his community, too. And that’s what this legacy award is about."
Nelson was the Mavs' head coach from 1997 to 2005, during a pivotal transition era for the franchise. Over a coaching career that spanned across five decades, Nelson racked up the second-most regular-season wins in NBA history (1,335) and entered the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2012.
Nelson's impact on the sport was his innovation of the "point forward" position, where he normalized big men controlling the offense with ball-handling and passing that replicated play typically seen in guards.
A quick scope around the league today tells you how lasting an impact that has made on the way the game is played and how players are developed.
Nelson, 86, had a record of 339-251 with the Mavs. During his tenure, the franchise welcomed its most notable star, a 7-foot German who possessed guard-like athleticism and eventually crafted an un-guardable fadeaway jumper, Dirk Nowitzki.
The Mavericks legend was in attendance at the award ceremony to support Nelson, along with other Dallas sports icons: the Cowboys' Troy Aikman and Darren Woodson.
"Don, the legend. I’m happy to be here for him," Nowitzki said. "He obviously was the guy who jump-started my career. His way of seeing basketball with the mismatches played into my hands. I always said that if I’d had another coach or gone to another team, things could have worked out a lot differently. Super thrilled and thankful that it worked out with Nellie. He was the perfect coach for me to start my career here."
Nowitzki, who brought Dallas its lone championship 15 years ago this month, added that Nelson's philosophy was transcendent not just for his own development, but for the growth of the sport as a whole.
"The way he saw the game is just different," Dirk said. "He always wanted his big [players] to bring the ball up, to run pick and rolls, to shoot. That really opened up the court for Europeans to come in and have an impact. And the league at the time was changing . . . and Nellie was kind of a visionary for that."
Later on, Nelson's legacy grew in Dallas as his son, Donnie, was in charge of the Mavericks as general manager. He was also on the staff with his father as an assistant coach when the franchise traded for Nowitzki on draft night in 1998.
Nelson, who has spent his retirement living in Hawaii, was flanked by generations of family members who united to celebrate.
"I feel like I’m the luckiest guy in the world," he said. "It’s good to be back in Texas, I’ll tell you. I moved back here about six months ago, and I’m having the time of my life. Today, I feel a lot of love in this room."
