Yes, that's basketball lifer Don Nelson in the video below, sitting next to former NBA players Jason Richardson and Stephen Jackson. If you haven't caught a glimpse of the Hall of Fame coach since his retirement, it makes sense that you would be surprised by the way he currently comports himself. It wasn't even a decade ago that Nelson was a relatively portly, older man with a white-blonde haircut straight from central casting, wearing casual suits on the sidelines without a tie a la former Chicago Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg.
Now, though, the 78-year-old looks like a shell of his former self, with slicked back long hair, perfectly manicured facial hair, an all-black wardrobe, and a dazzling gold chain to complement his trimmed-down frame. What is it that sparked such a drastic change in Nelson's appearance? We can't know for sure, but perhaps his frequent use of cannabis in post-retirement life was a contributing factor:
Don Nelson asked what he’s been doing after basketball: “I’ve been smoking some pot.” pic.twitter.com/67cncPYzsh
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) February 22, 2019
Regardless, Jackson sure seems excited about it.
Don Nelson retired in 2010 as the NBA's all-time winningest coach. He has a career coaching record of 1,335-1,063, good for a winning percentage of 55.7 – sixth among the coaches who rank in the top 10 in career victories.
The 2012 Hall of Fame inductee holds a special place in the hearts of Golden State Warriors fans. Nelson had two stints as coach of the Warriors, in the late 1980s to the mid 1990s, and then again for the second half of the 2000s. It was then he made himself a household name in the Bay forever, leading the eighth-seeded “We Believe” Warriors – with Jackson and Richardson, among others – to a first-round upset of the title-favorite Dallas Mavericks.
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