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A stickler for details, Oklahoma City Thunder coach Mark Daigneault interrupted a reporter’s question in the name of accuracy.
“You weren’t in the league when Don Nelson’s career ended…” the reporter began.
“Or in middle school,” Daigneault interjected with a wry smile.
To be fair, Daigneault was 25 years old, in his third year as an assistant at Holy Cross, when Nelson coached his final NBA season with Golden State in 2010.
But that doesn’t mean the OKC leader wasn’t aware of Nelson’s lasting legacy across the league 15 years after his retirement.
The 85-year-old Nelson was honored as the recipient of the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award on Sunday prior to Game 2 of the NBA Finals between the Thunder and Indiana Pacers at the Paycom Center.
Nelson’s head coaching career spanned from 1976-2010 as he compiled 1,335 victories with the Warriors, Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks. He retired as the all-time wins leader in NBA history, a mark that stood until one of his pupils, Gregg Popovich, passed it in 2022.
More: Thunder vs Pacers score, NBA Finals Game 2 live updates: SGA, OKC lead Indiana in 3Q
A 2012 inductee into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, Nelson is regarded as a basketball innovator, particularly for how he coached offense. But Daigneault spoke to the influence Nelson had on the way defense is played in the NBA today.
Daigneault’s connection to Nelson came through past Thunder assistants and OKC Blue veterans who had played for Nelson.
“A giant of the game but unbelievably ahead of his time,” Daigneault said. “Even as much as he was an offensive innovator, he was a defensive innovator. He was cross-matching aggressively before anybody was doing that, like years before.
“He would come into games and put Baron Davis on the center to create offensive problems for the other team and that was just stuff that wasn't happening.”
Nelson sat and told stories to the media throughout the award press conference, sharing tales of playing for Red Auerbach, coaching against Chuck Daly and trying to hide Dirk Nowitzki from the rest of the NBA world so the Mavs could draft the German superstar.
Often remaining secluded from the spotlight of the NBA now while living in Hawaii, Nelson was honored to make the trip to OKC, not because of the award, but because of who chose him for the award.
“The fact that you're selected by your peers really means a lot more to me than anybody else that selects you, whether it's a vote by the fans or the stats or something like that that people might be reading that you did or didn't do.
“When your peers select you, it's just a special thing. And that's the way that I regard this honor.”
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle is the president of the National Basketball Coaches Association, and though Game 2 was set to start less than an hour after the award presentation, he was excited to hand the crystal trophy to Nelson.
More: Why Alex Caruso was perfect veteran to guide OKC Thunder on this NBA Finals journey
“He changed the game,” Carlisle said. “He always lobbied for the game to be what it was today. No illegal defense, facilitate more ball movement, be able to play any defense. It would make the game better. It would make the players become guys that were higher basketball-IQ players that would learn how to play the game and make plays, rather than just have coaches call plays.
“This was a guy that had amazing foresight, and he absolutely changed the game and was a big influencer on the game that we have today.”
Nelson, who now lives in Hawaii, showed up to receive the award Sunday wearing bright, multi-colored Luka 4 Nikes. Luka Doncic, who was traded to the Lakers during the season, was drafted by the Mavs when Nelson’s son, Donnie, was the team’s general manager.
“I want everybody to know I'm wearing Luka's shoes, his new shoes from Nike, just got on the market,” Nelson said. “I'm wearing them in protest for the trade from Dallas. I think it was a tremendous mistake by the Dallas franchise to trade him, and I want everybody to know that.”
Scott Wright covers Oklahoma State athletics for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Scott? He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @ScottWrightOK. Sign up for the Oklahoma State Cowboys newsletter to access more OSU coverage. Support Scott’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com or by using the link at the top of this page.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Don Nelson honored with NBA Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award
Continue reading...
“You weren’t in the league when Don Nelson’s career ended…” the reporter began.
“Or in middle school,” Daigneault interjected with a wry smile.
To be fair, Daigneault was 25 years old, in his third year as an assistant at Holy Cross, when Nelson coached his final NBA season with Golden State in 2010.
But that doesn’t mean the OKC leader wasn’t aware of Nelson’s lasting legacy across the league 15 years after his retirement.
The 85-year-old Nelson was honored as the recipient of the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award on Sunday prior to Game 2 of the NBA Finals between the Thunder and Indiana Pacers at the Paycom Center.
Nelson’s head coaching career spanned from 1976-2010 as he compiled 1,335 victories with the Warriors, Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks. He retired as the all-time wins leader in NBA history, a mark that stood until one of his pupils, Gregg Popovich, passed it in 2022.
More: Thunder vs Pacers score, NBA Finals Game 2 live updates: SGA, OKC lead Indiana in 3Q
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A 2012 inductee into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, Nelson is regarded as a basketball innovator, particularly for how he coached offense. But Daigneault spoke to the influence Nelson had on the way defense is played in the NBA today.
Daigneault’s connection to Nelson came through past Thunder assistants and OKC Blue veterans who had played for Nelson.
“A giant of the game but unbelievably ahead of his time,” Daigneault said. “Even as much as he was an offensive innovator, he was a defensive innovator. He was cross-matching aggressively before anybody was doing that, like years before.
“He would come into games and put Baron Davis on the center to create offensive problems for the other team and that was just stuff that wasn't happening.”
Nelson sat and told stories to the media throughout the award press conference, sharing tales of playing for Red Auerbach, coaching against Chuck Daly and trying to hide Dirk Nowitzki from the rest of the NBA world so the Mavs could draft the German superstar.
Often remaining secluded from the spotlight of the NBA now while living in Hawaii, Nelson was honored to make the trip to OKC, not because of the award, but because of who chose him for the award.
“The fact that you're selected by your peers really means a lot more to me than anybody else that selects you, whether it's a vote by the fans or the stats or something like that that people might be reading that you did or didn't do.
“When your peers select you, it's just a special thing. And that's the way that I regard this honor.”
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle is the president of the National Basketball Coaches Association, and though Game 2 was set to start less than an hour after the award presentation, he was excited to hand the crystal trophy to Nelson.
More: Why Alex Caruso was perfect veteran to guide OKC Thunder on this NBA Finals journey
“He changed the game,” Carlisle said. “He always lobbied for the game to be what it was today. No illegal defense, facilitate more ball movement, be able to play any defense. It would make the game better. It would make the players become guys that were higher basketball-IQ players that would learn how to play the game and make plays, rather than just have coaches call plays.
“This was a guy that had amazing foresight, and he absolutely changed the game and was a big influencer on the game that we have today.”
Nelson, who now lives in Hawaii, showed up to receive the award Sunday wearing bright, multi-colored Luka 4 Nikes. Luka Doncic, who was traded to the Lakers during the season, was drafted by the Mavs when Nelson’s son, Donnie, was the team’s general manager.
“I want everybody to know I'm wearing Luka's shoes, his new shoes from Nike, just got on the market,” Nelson said. “I'm wearing them in protest for the trade from Dallas. I think it was a tremendous mistake by the Dallas franchise to trade him, and I want everybody to know that.”
Scott Wright covers Oklahoma State athletics for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Scott? He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @ScottWrightOK. Sign up for the Oklahoma State Cowboys newsletter to access more OSU coverage. Support Scott’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com or by using the link at the top of this page.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Don Nelson honored with NBA Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award
Continue reading...
