Don Nelson enjoying retirement as he prepares to be inducted in Hall of Fame – NBA News
After an extensive career in the NBA coaching various teams, Don Nelson is now enjoying the island of Maui in Hawaii.
Nelson is one of the greatest coaches to have graced the NBA, and is the all time leader in victories. However, he has left that fast paced NBA lifestyle behind him and is now focusing on his other passions and
enjoying his retirement life.
Nelson invested his life savings in Maui, where he is looking to dive into the agriculture business. Besides that, he has taken up gold and plays poker three times a week. That is just the kind of lifestyle every
retired person would dream of.
The NBA great has been nominated to be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in grand ceremony on September 7th in Springfield. Nelson , who has not won a championship ring
in 31 years of coaching, was quite surprised when he heard the news that he was being inducted,;
"I always kind of felt I was undeserving of getting there. I still feel unworthy, really. Somebody voted for me, I guess. I didn't have a feeling of what it would be. It's really nice. It's a pinnacle of everybody's
career,” said the 72 year old.
Nelson will be remembered as one of the best coaches in the history of the NBA. He had an opportunity to join the Boston Celtics as head coach during his first job with the Milwaukee Bucks. However, he turned
down the offer due to his loyalty to the Bucks ownership. The Celtics went on to win multiple NBA championships.
“Part of it was my own doing. As a career move, that would have been .because they won how many championships after that?” said Nelson about the offer.
Nelson, however, takes pleasure in the fact that he turned the fortunes around of many struggling NBA teams, and says that he liked taking on teams that were not so good and them working on them to make a competitive
group out of them.
Nelson was the head coach of the Golden State Warriors in 2007 when they surprised everyone by making it to the 2nd round of the playoffs. The “We Believe” team led by Stephen Jackson
and Baron Davis is one of Nelson’s most cherished memories from his extensive and illustrious career.
"It's up there. I don't know how I can rank things. That's one of the highlights, for sure,” added Nelson.
Nelson still watches the NBA, and takes interest in teams that he has coached over the course of his career. However, he says that chapter of his life is finally over and he has now moved on to other things.
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