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 Nelson in 2007 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1962-09-10)September 10, 1962 (age 63) Iowa City, Iowa, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| High school | Worcester Academy (Worcester, Massachusetts) |
| College | Wheaton (1982–1986) |
| Coaching career | 1986–2002 |
| Career history | |
Coaching | |
| 1986–1994 | Golden State Warriors (assistant) |
| 1995–1998 | Phoenix Suns (assistant) |
| 2000–2002 | Dallas Mavericks (assistant) |
| Career highlights | |
| As executive: | |
Medals | |
Donn Charles Nelson (born September 10, 1962) is an Americanbasketball executive who previously held general manager and president of basketball operations roles for theDallas Mavericks of theNational Basketball Association (NBA). He is the son ofHall of Fame basketball coachDon Nelson. In a 2007Sports Illustrated article ranking the NBA's personnel bosses from 1 to 30, Nelson was ranked 2nd.[1] In a 2009Yahoo Sports article, Nelson was ranked the third-best general manager of the decade after producing nine 50-plus-win seasons in a row and the first finals appearance in franchise history in 2006.[2] Nelson assembled the Mavericks team that would later win the 2011 NBA championship. Having served since 2005, Nelson was the longest-tenured general manager in the NBA at the time of his parting with the Mavericks in 2021.
Nelson is one of the co-owners of theTexas Legends, theNBA G League affiliate of the Mavericks, located in theDallas–Fort Worth suburb ofFrisco.[3]
Donnie Nelson is the second of four children, and the only son, of basketball coachDon and Sharon Nelson. He was born inIowa City during his father's final year at theUniversity of Iowa, and was raised inNatick, Massachusetts when his father played for theBoston Celtics. As a teenager, Nelson also took up basketball, playing in high school forWorcester Academy.[4] However, a broken ankle reduced his playing efficiency.[5] Don's job coaching theMilwaukee Bucks had made the family move toBrookfield, Wisconsin, and the same day Donnie graduated and was driven back home by Sharon in 1982, Don decided to leave his wife. Wishing to remain closer to his mother, Donnie gave up on playing in Iowa orIndiana, and instead went to theDivision IIIWheaton College in Illinois, where his older sister Julie studied.[4] Despite being anAll-America player with Wheaton, he asked his father not to make any calls for a professional tryout. The summer after his freshman year, he joined theAthletes in Action team, traveling first toSouth America and then toEurope.[5] The experience made Nelson interested in bringing international players to the NBA, a trademark of his subsequent career.[6] He graduated in 1986.[5]
Nelson's first works with the NBA were in his father's teams, first as a regional scout of theMilwaukee Bucks between 1984 and 1986, and then as the top assistant to Don in theGolden State Warriors from 1986 to 1994. During this time, Nelson also worked as a part-time scout starting in 1987.[4] While playing inLithuania SSR capitalVilnius, Nelson metŠarūnas Marčiulionis, with whom he struck a friendship despite the language barrier. Once Donnie told his father about Marčiulionis and his skills, the Warriors would draft him in the sixth round of the1987 NBA draft.[5] After the1988 Summer Olympics, Marciulionis invited Nelson to Lithuania, where for three months he lived in the player's apartment in Vilnius, staging a series of basketball clinics around the increasingly restive republic. Eventually, Nelson would fly to Moscow to sign Marčiulionis in 1989, leading him to become the first Soviet Union-born player in the NBA.[7][8]
As Don Nelson resigned from Golden State in 1995, Donnie also left the organization.[9] From 1995 to 1998, Nelson was an assistant coach with thePhoenix Suns. He was a major influence in getting the team to pickSteve Nash, who he met while Nash played in high school, and would later befriend as Nash became the star ofSanta Clara University.[10]
Nelson's tenure with the Dallas Mavericks began on January 2, 1998, when his father hired him as an assistant coach.[11] In the1998 NBA draft, Nelson arranged for the Mavericks to draft little-known GermanDirk Nowitzki and bring in Nash, who saw limited minutes in Phoenix, through a three-team trade. Both players would win theMost Valuable Player Award. The draft-day trades for Nowitzki and Nash is the first time in NBA history two future MVPs were acquired in the same transaction.[12] Like withMarčiulionis and Eastern Europe in the late 1980s, Nelson opened the league to a traditionally closed market when he made the Mavericks draft the first Chinese player to ever play in the NBA,Wang Zhizhi, in the1999 NBA draft.[6][11]
During the2001–02 NBA season, Nelson was interim head coach of the Mavericks while his father recovered from cancer treatment, leading the team to a 15–8 record. He was promoted to president of basketball operations in July 2002, and he took over as general manager on March 19, 2005, when his father stepped down as coach and general manager.[11]
Donnie Nelson's efforts to rebuild the Mavericks occurred following the team's decade-long playoff drought. During his tenure, the Mavericks have won 66% of their games, including five 50-win seasons, two 60-win seasons, and a franchise-record 67-win season in 2007. The 2007 season was tied for the sixth-best regular season in NBA history. The Mavericks are also one of just six franchises to win 60 games or more three times in a five-year span. Stemming from the efforts made during Nelson's tenure, the Mavericks reached the playoffs for ten consecutive seasons, reached the Western Conference Finals three times, and advanced to the NBA Finals twice, winning their first NBA Championship in 2011.[citation needed]
Nelson acquired the core group of players on the 2011 championship Mavs roster through key trades and success in the NBA draft. All-StarTyson Chandler, 2008–09Sixth Man of the YearJason Terry, Hall of Fame point guardJason Kidd, four-time All-StarShawn Marion, two-time All-StarCaron Butler, andBrendan Haywood were acquired through trades. Nelson was also responsible for adding 2007 MVP, 2011 NBA Finals MVP, and 14-time All-Star Dirk Nowitzki via trade on NBA draft night. On previous teams, Nelson played a role in trading for players such as two-time MVPSteve Nash and All-Star/Sixth Man of the YearAntawn Jamison, as well as acquiring future All-StarsDevin Harris andJosh Howard via the draft.[citation needed]
Key pieces of the modern Mavericks roster were once again assembled through impressive trades and Draft night success orchestrated by Nelson. A promising young core of the team came together when 2018 All-StarKristaps Porziņģis was acquired in a 2019 trade-deadline deal with theNew York Knicks. He was paired with fast-rising sensationLuka Dončić, the nearly unanimous 2019Rookie of the Year, acquired through a draft-night trade with theAtlanta Hawks in 2018. Jalen Brunson was also selected by Nelson with the 33rd pick of the 2018 Draft. Nelson's 2018 Draft selections of both Doncic and Brunson has been called one of the greatest drafts in NBA history. Porzingis (trade), Brunson (free agency), and Doncic (trade) all departed Dallas under new leadership, after Nelson's tenure with the Mavericks ended. Porzingis went on to become an NBA Champion as the Boston Celtic's starting center (defeating Dallas), Brunson is a two-time All-Star and All-NBA 2nd Team selection with the New York Knicks, and Doncic has become a global superstar after posting 5 All-NBA 1st Team seasons by the age of 25, which is the second most in NBA history behind LeBron James.
Nelson has earned a reputation in basketball as arguably the greatest international scout of all-time considering his groundbreaking involvement in Eastern Europe (Marčiulionis) and China (Wang) combined with his role in acquiring future MVPs Steve Nash (Canada) and Dirk Nowitzki (Germany), All-Star Kristaps Porziņģis (Latvia), and five-time All-Star Luka Dončić (Slovenia). He also famously advocated for the Mavericks to draft future MVPGiannis Antetokounmpo (Greece) in 2013, only to be rebuffed by ownerMark Cuban.[13]
As the Mavericks established anNBA G League (D-League) team inFrisco, Texas, a suburb north of Dallas, Nelson was named co-owner. TheTexas Legends began to play in the 2010–11 season,[3] and became the first male professional team coached by a woman,Nancy Lieberman.
In 2020, Nelson finished in 8th place for theExecutive of the Year Award.[14]
Nelson and the Mavericks "mutually agreed to part ways" on June 16, 2021, ending Nelson's 24-year tenure with the franchise.[11]
Since 1990, Nelson has served as an assistant coach for theLithuania national basketball team. In 1991, asLithuania had just been re-established as an independent state, theLithuanian Basketball Federation could not rely on public funding. Knowing of Marčiulionis's struggles, Nelson helped get sponsors for the Lithuanian team's1992 Summer Olympics campaign, which included rock bandGrateful Dead.[15] In that period, the Lithuanians won three bronze medals in fourOlympics, a silver medal inEuroBasket 1995 and a gold medal inEuroBasket 2003. In appreciation for his contributions, Nelson was awarded the Medal of theOrder of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas in 1995 and the Commander's Grand Crosses of theOrder for Merits to Lithuania by the President of Lithuania in 2004. He also serves as Honorary Ambassador for the League of Industries.[16]
In 1994, Nelson served as a scout forUSA Basketball at the World Championships in Toronto.Dream Team II went undefeated on their way to capturing a gold medal that year.
Nelson also serves as the chief advisor for theChina national basketball team. During his two years of service, they equaled their all-time-best Olympic finish (8th) in Athens and won the gold medal at the 2005 Asian Championships.
Nelson is married to Lotta and has two children.[3]
Nelson has been involved with several charitable efforts. He worked with the NBA's African Top 100 campaign, an outreach program providing educational opportunities to challenged African athletes. He is the founder of the "Global Games" in Dallas, which gives area high school kids a chance to test themselves against the top Junior National teams in the world. He also helped create the Assist Youth Foundation, who offers opportunities for underprivileged kids in theDallas/Fort Worth Metroplex and across the globe.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | The Other Dream Team | Himself | Documentary about theLithuania men's national basketball team at the1992 Summer Olympics. | [17] |
