Legendary NBA player and coach Don Nelson died Sunday morning at the age of 86, his family announced in a statement. Nelson won five NBA titles as a player with the Celtics, and the team retired his No. “One of the big reasons I was drafted by the Warriors was because of Don Nelson,” Curry said in a team-issued statement on Sunday. Up-tempo “Nellie Ball”“Nellie Ball,” the fast-paced style that Nelson often employed, also left a significant mark on the modern NBA. Manute Bol, the first NBA player from present-day South Sudan, shot threes at his towering height of 7'7" for two seasons with Nelson’s Warriors, too.