NBA
Don Nelson wears Luka Doncic’s shoes to protest Mavericks’ ‘tremendous mistake’
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All posts by Antonio KozlowUpdated8 mins ago on June 09, 2025
Just as Don Nelson was being honored with the 2025 Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award, he attended Game 2 of the NBA Finals between Pacers and Thunder with some shiny shoes. During the news conference which announced him as the new accolade owner, he spilled the beans about his foot wear.
The Hall of Fame coach was wearing none other than a pair of Luka Doncic‘s signature Jordan Brand sneakers. According to the 85-year-old, he was showing the Slovenian, whom he calls “my dear friend”, some support after the controversial trade that sent the young star to Los Angeles.
“As a matter of fact, I want everybody to know I’m wearing Luka’s shoes, his new shoes from Nike that just got on the market,” Nelson shared this Sunday. “I’m wearing them in protest for the trade from Dallas. Tremendous mistake by the Dallas franchise to trade him, and I want everybody to know that.”
According to the legendary tactician, his philosophy on generational players like Luka is the one that Red Auerbach taught him. “His philosophy was when you have a great player — Bill Russell, [John] Havlicek, Sam Jones, you name ’em — you don’t lose that player,” he shared. “You keep him for a lifetime. You put his number up, and you honor that player. That’s been my philosophy.”
We are talking about one of only two coaches in league history to ever led three different teams to at least 250 victories. “History has already reflected Don Nelson’s staggering contributions as a cutting-edge innovator and visionary of the NBA game,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said, as he also serves as the NBCA President.
The Indiana coach then praised Don’s legacy. “Back in the ’80s and ’90s, he made teams adjust to historic pace, liberal 3-point shooting, inverted offense, and disruptive defensive schemes. All this while establishing himself as one of the most compelling personalities in all of professional sports,” he assured.
Nelson, on the other hand, reminisced on Chuck Daly while being honored with this recent award. “He was a dear friend of mine and someone I respected immensely due to his class, character, and of course, his coaching ability. Chuck was an absolute genius in all facets of the game and life,” Don expressed last night.
