Donnie Nelson
Encyclopedia
Donnie Nelson is the General Manager and president of basketball operations for the NBA team the Dallas Mavericks
. Donnie attended Worcester Academy
for High School. He is the son of Don Nelson
, the former head coach of the Golden State Warriors
. In a 2007 Sports Illustrated
article ranking the NBA's personnel bosses from 1-30, Donnie was ranked #2.
Additionally, in a 2009 Yahoo! Sports article Nelson was ranked the 3rd 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. Nelson assembled the Mavericks team that would later win the 2011 NBA Championship.
Nelson is also one of the co-owners of the Texas Legends of the NBA Developmental League, located in the Dallas-Fort Worth suburb of Frisco
. The team is an affiliate of the Mavericks.
purchased the team in January 2000.
Donnie Nelson has been instrumental in rebuilding a team that suffered a decade-long playoff drought into an NBA Champion. During his tenure, the Mavericks have won 66% of their games, including five 50-win seasons, two 60-wins seasons, and a franchise record 67-wins season in 2007. The 67-wins 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. In all, the Mavericks have won 50 or more games for ten consecutive years. As a result, under Nelson, the Mavericks have also made the playoffs ten consecutive seasons, been to the Western Conference Finals three times, advanced to the NBA Finals twice, and the franchise won their first NBA Championship in 2011.
Nelson has acquired the core group of players on the current Mavs roster through trades and success in the NBA Draft. Tyson Chandler, 2008-2009 6th Man of the Year Jason Terry, future Hall of Fame point guard Jason Kidd, 4-time All-Star Shawn Marion, 2-time All-Star Caron Butler, and Brendan Haywood were acquired through key trades. Nelson was also responsible for adding 2007 MVP, 2011 NBA Finals MVP, and 10-time All-Star Dirk Nowitzki along with sophomore sensation Rodrigue Beaubois through the NBA Draft. On previous teams Nelson played a significant role in trading for players such as two-time Most Valuable Player Steve Nash
and All-Star/6th Man of the Year Antawn Jamison
, as well as acquiring future All-Stars Devin Harris and Josh Howard via the NBA Draft.
Nelson also coached the Mavericks while his father and former head coach Don Nelson missed time. While the elder Nelson was recovering from cancer surgery in 2000-01, Donnie led the team to a 13-8 record. In 2001-02, he was 2-0 as the head coach. He was the top assistant to his father at Golden State
, where he served the organization a total of eight seasons ('86-'94). Nelson was also a regional scout for the Milwaukee Bucks
for two seasons ('84-'86).
. In that span, he has helped them win three bronze medals in four Olympiad
s, a silver medal in the 1995 European Championship
s and a gold medal in the 2003 European Championship
s. In appreciation for his contributions, Nelson was awarded the Grand Cross of the Commander by the President of Lithuania in 2004. He also serves as Honorary Ambassador for the League of Industries.
In 1994, Nelson served as a scout for USA 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 the China 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.
(Sarunas Marciulionis
) and China
(Wang Zhizhi
) to NBA contracts. In addition, Nelson holds the honor of being the only American coach to participate in a Soviet National training camp. On June 24, 1998 Nelson engineered a deal that brought a relatively unknown German and an unheralded Canadian to Dallas. Both Dirk Nowitzki (2007) and Steve Nash (2005, 2006) would go on to be named the NBA's Most Valuable Player.
Also for the past two years, Nelson has worked with the NBA’s African Top 100 campaign. This outreach program provides educational opportunities to challenged African athletes.
Nelson 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. The games completed their eighth season this summer.
In December 2002, Nelson helped create the Assist Youth Foundation. The foundation's goal is to advance opportunities for underprivileged kids in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex
and across the globe.
Nelson is also the co-owner of a new National Basketball Association Developmental League (D-League) team that will be located in Frisco, Texas, a suburb north of Dallas. On November 5, 2009, Nelson and the Frisco team made history by hiring Nancy Lieberman
to be their first head coach. She will be the first full-time female head coach to lead a NBDL team. The Texas Legends will begin play in the 2010-11 season.
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011...
. Donnie attended Worcester Academy
Worcester Academy
Worcester Academy is an independent coeducational preparatory school spread over in Worcester, Massachusetts in the United States. The school is divided into a middle school, serving approximately 150 students in grades six to eight, and an upper school, serving approximately 500 students in...
for High School. He is the son of Don Nelson
Don Nelson
Donald Arvid "Don" Nelson is a former NBA player and head coach. He coached the Milwaukee Bucks, the New York Knicks, the Dallas Mavericks, and the Golden State Warriors....
, the former head coach of the Golden State Warriors
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. They are part of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
. In a 2007 Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
article ranking the NBA's personnel bosses from 1-30, Donnie was ranked #2.
Additionally, in a 2009 Yahoo! Sports article Nelson was ranked the 3rd 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. Nelson assembled the Mavericks team that would later win the 2011 NBA Championship.
Nelson is also one of the co-owners of the Texas Legends of the NBA Developmental League, located in the Dallas-Fort Worth suburb of Frisco
Frisco, Texas
Frisco is an affluent city in Collin and Denton Counties in the U.S. state of Texas and a rapidly growing suburb of Dallas. As of the 2010 Census, 116,989 people were living in Frisco up from 33,714 in the previous census. Frisco was the fastest growing city in the United States in 2009, and also...
. The team is an affiliate of the Mavericks.
Work with the Mavericks
Donnie Nelson is involved in every aspect of the Mavericks basketball operations. Nelson, who has 23 years of NBA experience, came to Dallas on January 2, 1998 after three seasons as an assistant coach with Phoenix. Donnie was the assistant coach for the Mavericks when Mark CubanMark Cuban
Mark Cuban is an American business magnate and investor. He is the owner of the National Basketball Association's Dallas Mavericks, Landmark Theatres, and Magnolia Pictures, and the chairman of the HDTV cable network HDNet....
purchased the team in January 2000.
Donnie Nelson has been instrumental in rebuilding a team that suffered a decade-long playoff drought into an NBA Champion. During his tenure, the Mavericks have won 66% of their games, including five 50-win seasons, two 60-wins seasons, and a franchise record 67-wins season in 2007. The 67-wins 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. In all, the Mavericks have won 50 or more games for ten consecutive years. As a result, under Nelson, the Mavericks have also made the playoffs ten consecutive seasons, been to the Western Conference Finals three times, advanced to the NBA Finals twice, and the franchise won their first NBA Championship in 2011.
Nelson has acquired the core group of players on the current Mavs roster through trades and success in the NBA Draft. Tyson Chandler, 2008-2009 6th Man of the Year Jason Terry, future Hall of Fame point guard Jason Kidd, 4-time All-Star Shawn Marion, 2-time All-Star Caron Butler, and Brendan Haywood were acquired through key trades. Nelson was also responsible for adding 2007 MVP, 2011 NBA Finals MVP, and 10-time All-Star Dirk Nowitzki along with sophomore sensation Rodrigue Beaubois through the NBA Draft. On previous teams Nelson played a significant role in trading for players such as two-time Most Valuable Player Steve Nash
Steve Nash
Stephen John "Steve" Nash, OC, OBC is a South African-born Canadian professional basketball player who plays point guard for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association . Nash enjoyed a successful high-school basketball career, and he was eventually given a scholarship by Santa Clara...
and All-Star/6th Man of the Year Antawn Jamison
Antawn Jamison
Antawn Cortez Jamison is an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association . He currently plays power forward for the Cleveland Cavaliers and was a member of the USA National Team for the 2006 FIBA World Championships...
, as well as acquiring future All-Stars Devin Harris and Josh Howard via the NBA Draft.
Nelson also coached the Mavericks while his father and former head coach Don Nelson missed time. While the elder Nelson was recovering from cancer surgery in 2000-01, Donnie led the team to a 13-8 record. In 2001-02, he was 2-0 as the head coach. He was the top assistant to his father at Golden State
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. They are part of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
, where he served the organization a total of eight seasons ('86-'94). Nelson was also a regional scout for the Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They are part of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and currently plays at the Bradley Center....
for two seasons ('84-'86).
Olympics
Since 1990, Donnie has served as an assistant coach for the Lithuania national basketball teamLithuania national basketball team
The Lithuanian national basketball team is the representative for Lithuania in international men's basketball. Lithuania won bronze medals in three out of five Olympic tournaments it participated in....
. In that span, he has helped them win three bronze medals in four Olympiad
Olympiad
An Olympiad is a period of four years, associated with the Olympic Games of Classical Greece. In the Hellenistic period, beginning with Ephorus, Olympiads were used as calendar epoch....
s, a silver medal in the 1995 European Championship
Eurobasket
The EuroBasket, also referred to as the FIBA European Basketball Championship, is the main basketball competition contested biennially by the men's national teams governed by FIBA Europe, the European zone within the International Basketball Federation. The championship was first held in 1935 and...
s and a gold medal in the 2003 European Championship
Eurobasket 2003
-5th to 8th place:-Awards:-All-Tournament Team : Tony Parker Šarūnas Jasikevičius Saulius Štombergas Andrei Kirilenko Pau Gasol-Top scorers :# Pau Gasol 25.8# Andrei Kirilenko 23.1# Dirk Nowitzki 22.5# Mehmet Okur 18.7...
s. In appreciation for his contributions, Nelson was awarded the Grand Cross of the Commander by the President of Lithuania in 2004. He also serves as Honorary Ambassador for the League of Industries.
In 1994, Nelson served as a scout for USA Basketball
USA Basketball
USA Basketball is a non-profit organization and the governing body for basketball in the United States. The organization represents the United States in FIBA and the men's and women's national basketball teams in the United States Olympic Committee...
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 the China national basketball team
China national basketball team
The Chinese men's national basketball team is the basketball team representing China in international competitions. The governing body of Chinese basketball operations is the Basketball Association of China...
. 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.
Recruiting
Nelson's tireless efforts helped crack two walls that once seemed unbreakable. Nelson was responsible for signing the first player from both the Soviet UnionSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
(Sarunas Marciulionis
Šarunas Marciulionis
Raimondas Šarūnas Marčiulionis is a retired Lithuanian professional basketball player. He was one of the first Europeans to become a regular in the North American National Basketball Association...
) and China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
(Wang Zhizhi
Wang Zhizhi
Wang Zhizhi is a Chinese professional basketball player. He is a former player in the National Basketball Association.Wang is 214 cm tall. Wang's father Wang Weijun and mother Ren Huanzhen were both basketball players...
) to NBA contracts. In addition, Nelson holds the honor of being the only American coach to participate in a Soviet National training camp. On June 24, 1998 Nelson engineered a deal that brought a relatively unknown German and an unheralded Canadian to Dallas. Both Dirk Nowitzki (2007) and Steve Nash (2005, 2006) would go on to be named the NBA's Most Valuable Player.
Also for the past two years, Nelson has worked with the NBA’s African Top 100 campaign. This outreach program provides educational opportunities to challenged African athletes.
Nelson 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. The games completed their eighth season this summer.
In December 2002, Nelson helped create the Assist Youth Foundation. The foundation's goal is to advance opportunities for underprivileged kids in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex
Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex
The Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington Metropolitan Statistical Area, a title designated by the U.S. Census as of 2003, encompasses 12 counties within the U.S. state of Texas. The area is divided into two metropolitan divisions: Dallas–Plano–Irving and Fort Worth–Arlington. Residents of the area...
and across the globe.
Nelson is also the co-owner of a new National Basketball Association Developmental League (D-League) team that will be located in Frisco, Texas, a suburb north of Dallas. On November 5, 2009, Nelson and the Frisco team made history by hiring Nancy Lieberman
Nancy Lieberman
Nancy Elizabeth Lieberman , nicknamed "Lady Magic", is a former professional basketball player who played and coached in the WNBA.Lieberman is regarded as one of the greatest figures in women's basketball....
to be their first head coach. She will be the first full-time female head coach to lead a NBDL team. The Texas Legends will begin play in the 2010-11 season.