Donnie Nelson

Quick Facts

Full Name	Donnie Nelson
Occupation	Basketball Coach
Date Of Birth	Sep 10, 1962(1962-09-10)
Age	62
Birthplace	Des Moines
Country	United States
Birth City	Iowa
Horoscope	Virgo

Donnie Nelson Biography

Donnie Nelson is one of the most popular and richest Basketball Coach who was born on September 10, 1962 in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. Donn Charles Nelson (born on September 10 1962, located in Iowa City, Iowa) is an American basketball executive who is the general manager and the president of the basketball operation with the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nelson is the father of Hall of Fame Coach Don Nelson who has had the highest number of wins among coaches in NBA history, with 1,335. In an article in 2007, Sports Illustrated article ranking the NBA’s top personnel managers from 1 to 30 Nelson was ranked at the top of the list. 2. In an article in 2009 Yahoo! Sports piece, Nelson was named the third-best general manager in the decade , having produced nine 50+-win seasons consecutively and the first appearance in the Finals of the history of the franchise in. Nelson was the team leader for the Mavericks team which later won in 2011 the NBA Championship.

The year 1994 was the first time Nelson worked as a Scout in 1994 for USA Basketball at the World Championships in Toronto. Dream Team II went undefeated in their quest to win the gold medal in 1994.

In 1998, Nelson rejoined his father, who was coach and general manager of the Dallas Mavericks, as assistant general manager. In the 1998 NBA draft, Nelson arranged for the Mavericks to draft little-known German Dirk Nowitzki and bring in Nash, who saw limited minutes in Phoenix, through a three-team trade. Both players would win the Most Valuable Player Award. The Draft Day trades for Nowitzki and Nash is the first time in NBA history two future MVP’s were acquired in the same transaction. Like with Marciulionis 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 1999.

Nelson also served as assistant coach in 2000, when Mark Cuban purchased the team, and was an interim coach filling in for his father on multiple occasions between 2000 and 2002.

In 1990, Nelson has served as an assistant coach for the Lithuania national basketball team. In 1991, when Lithuania was just reestablished as an independent nation as of 1991, there was no way for the Lithuanian Basketball Federation could not be dependent on public funds. Being aware of Marciulionis struggle, Nelson helped get sponsors for the Lithuanian team’s 1992 Summer Olympics campaign, which included the rock group Grateful Dead. In the time of that campaign, the Lithuanians received three bronze medals over four Olympics as well as winning a silver medal at EuroBasket 1995, a silver medal in EuroBasket and an gold medal in Eurobasket 2003. To acknowledge his contribution to the sport, Nelson was awarded the Medal of the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas in 1995 as well as the Grand Commander’s Crosses in the order of Merits for his service to Lithuania from the president of Lithuania in 2004. Nelson also serves as Honorary Ambassador to the League of Industries.

Donnie Nelson Net Worth

Donnie Nelson is one of the richest Basketball Coach from United States. According to our analysis, Wikipedia, Forbes & Business Insider, Donnie Nelson 's net worth $5 Million. (Last Update: December 11, 2023)

Donnie is the fourth child born of Don Nelson and Sharon Nelson, and the sole son. The Nelsons were born in Iowa City during his father’s final year at the University of Iowa, and was raised in Natick, Massachusetts as Don was a player in his team, the Boston Celtics. Growing up in a similar way to his father’s, Nelson also took up basketball and played in high school with Worcester Academy. But a fractured ankle restricted his ability to play. Don’s position as coach of players for the Milwaukee Bucks had made the family relocate into Brookfield, Wisconsin, and on the same day Donnie graduated and was taken back to home in 1982 by Sharon who was driving him back home in the year 1982. Don made the decision to divorce his wife. Wanting to stay close with his mom, Donnie gave up on playing in Iowa or Indiana and instead went to Division III Wheaton College located in Illinois in which his elder sister Julie was a student. Even though he was an All-America player at Wheaton He pleaded with his father to not call to try out for a professional. After his freshman year was when he became a member of his school’s Athletes of Action. The team first traveled across South America and then to Europe. The experience led to Nelson keen to bring international players into the NBA and became a hallmark of his career. He was a graduate in 1986.

Nelson’s initial experiences in the NBA included the teams of his father, initially in the role of a regional scout with the Milwaukee Bucks between 1984 and 1986, and later as the most senior advisor of Don for his team, the Golden State Warriors from 1986 until 1994. In this period, Nelson also worked as an occasional scout beginning in 1987. While playing in the Lithuania SSR capital Vilnius, Nelson came across Sarunas Marciulionis who he developed an acquaintance despite the language barriers. When Donnie shared with his father the story of Marciulionis’s talents which led to the Warriors were able to draft Marciulionis in the 6th selection of 1987’s NBA draft. Following 1998’s Summer Olympics, Marciulionis invited Nelson to Lithuania in the summer of

1988. For three months, he stayed in the player’s home in Vilnius organizing several basketball camps in the republic’s increasingly turbulent region. In the end, Nelson flew to Moscow to take over Marciulionis at the age of 29, which led Nelson to becoming the only Soviet Union player in the NBA.

As Don Nelson resigned from Golden State in 1995, Donnie also left the organization. From 1995 to 1998, Nelson was an assistant coach with the Phoenix Suns. He was a major influence in getting the team to pick Steve Nash, who he met while Nash played in high school, and would later befriend as Nash became the star of Santa Clara University.

Height, Weight & Body Measurements

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Who is Donnie Nelson Dating?

According to our records, Donnie Nelson is possibily single & has not been previously engaged. As of December 1, 2023, Donnie Nelson’s is not dating anyone.

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Nelson has earned a reputation in basketball as arguably the greatest international scout of all time considering his groundbreaking involvement in Eastern Europe (Marciulionis) and China (ZhiZhi) combined with his role in acquiring future MVP’s Steve Nash (Canada) and Dirk Nowitzki (Germany), All- Star Kristaps Porzingis (Latvia), and Rookie of the Year Luka Doncic (Slovenia). He also famously advocated for the Mavericks to draft future MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece) in 2013, only to be rebuffed by owner Mark Cuban

Facts & Trivia

Donnie Ranked on the list of most popular Basketball Coach. Also ranked in the elit list of famous people born in United States. Donnie Nelson celebrates birthday on September 10 of every year.

The key pieces of the current Mavericks roster were once again assembled through impressive trades and Draft night success orchestrated by Nelson. The promising young core of the team features 2018 All-Star Kristaps Porzingis, acquired in a 2019 Trade Deadline deal with the New York Knicks. As well as sophomore sensation Luka Doncic, the nearly unanimous 2019 Rookie of the Year, acquired through a Draft night trade with the Atlanta Hawks. Nelson has the Mavericks well positioned for success and a rapid rebuild with two young cornerstones following the retirement of Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki.