Former Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki offered a moving tribute to former coach Don Nelson following Nelson’s death on Sunday.
Nowitzki was drafted and developed by Nelson in Dallas and enjoyed a very close relationship with his mentor. On Sunday, he wrote about how Nelson had been the one who believed in him, and that his career would not have been the same without the coach.
“Nellie… You didn’t just draft me. You believed in me,” Nowitzki wrote. “You saw things in my game before I ever realized I could do them. I’ve said it a million times and I will always say it: I don’t think my career could have turned out how it did without you being my first coach and giving me the freedom to play my game. I can only say THANK YOU. For everything.”
Nellie… You didn't just draft me. You believed in me. You saw things in my game before I ever realized I could do them. I've said it a million times and I will always say it: I don't think my career could have turned out how it did without you being my first coach and giving me…
— Dirk Nowitzki (@swish41) August 9, 2026
Nelson viewed Nowitzki as the ideal point forward, even though Nowitzki initially struggled with the NBA’s physicality. Eventually, Nowitzki became one of the best ever, and has often credited Nelson for that. Nelson was similarly fond of Nowitzki, one referring to the player as his “German son.”
Nelson, a Hall of Famer, died Sunday at the age of 86.
