Don Nelson, Hall of Fame Coach and Celtics Star, Dies at 86

Don Nelson, who died at 86, lived a basketball life that traced the full arc of the modern NBA — from the dynasty Celtics of the 1960s to the analytics-driven era he helped usher in as a coach. He won five championships as a player and accumulated the second-most coaching victories in league history, not merely by outlasting his peers, but by consistently reimagining how the game could be played. His decision to draft Stephen Curry in 2009, when others doubted the young guard's viability, may stand as the single most consequential act of basketball foresight in a generation. Nelson understood