Hall of Fame coach Don Nelson wears Luka Dončić shoes in ‘protest' of Lakers trade
Hall of Fame coach Don Nelson is clearly not a fan of how the Dallas Mavericks traded Luka Dončić earlier this year, and he found a novel way of expressing his disapproval.
The 85-year-old was at Game 2 of this year's NBA Finals on Sunday to pick up the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award winner, recognition for his 31 years as one of the most successful coaches ever.
But it was Nelson's choice of footwear which made the headlines, with the former Mavericks coach wearing Dončić's signature Jordan Brand sneakers.
'I want everybody to know I'm wearing Luka's shoes, his new shoes from Nike that just got on the market,' Nelson told reporters.
'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.'
In February, the NBA world was left stunned after it was announced that the Los Angeles Lakers would be acquiring Dončić, as well as Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris, from the Dallas Mavericks for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and the Lakers' 2029 first-round draft pick.
It was a decision that left Mavericks fans and critics angry and confused, with Dončić himself saddened by the trade.
That blow for Mavs fans has been somewhat softened in recent weeks after the franchise won the NBA lottery, getting the first pick in the draft and the chance to begin to fill the void left by Dončić's departure with Duke phenom Cooper Flagg.
But Nelson, clearly, is still frustrated by the decision to let such a talented player leave the team.
The former coach spent eight years with the Mavericks during a record-breaking career. He was perhaps best known for his two stints with the Golden State Warriors, where he laid the foundations for the franchise's modern dominance.
He is also one of only two coaches in NBA history to have at least 250 wins with three franchises.
Nelson retired in 2010 as the winningest coach in NBA history – a record which has since been broken by Nelson's friend, Gregg Popovich.
'I'm so proud to be one of the many who have already received this award,' Nelson told reporters when receiving the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award Sunday.
'I made the Hall of Fame in 2012 and this is certainly as important to me as that award was.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Associated Press
22 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Minnesota women's coach Dawn Plitzuweit gets 2-year contract extension with raise
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota women's basketball coach Dawn Plitzuweit has received a two-year contract extension that was approved Thursday by the university's board of regents. Plitzuweit is 47-29 over two seasons at Minnesota, including 13-23 in Big Ten play, with leading scorer Mara Braun missing much of them with foot injuries. The Gophers capped Plitzuweit's second year by winning the WBIT championship. They have not appeared in the NCAA Tournament since 2018. The new deal, which covers the next six seasons through 2031, gives Plitzuweit a raise of roughly 7% to bring her base salary to $900,000 for 2025-26, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune, with annual increases of $30,000. That's in the middle of the pack in the 18-team Big Ten, which sent 12 of them to the NCAA Tournament this year. Plitzuweit was hired away from West Virginia, where she spent one season, to replace Lindsay Whalen. Plitzuweit is the 13th head coach in the program's history. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women's college basketball: and
Associated Press
22 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Civale says he wants to continue starting - in Milwaukee or elsewhere - after Brewers put him in pen
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Aaron Civale is moving to a bullpen role for the first time in his seven-year career. His next move could be out of Milwaukee entirely. One day after the Brewers announced they were shifting him to the bullpen to make room for flame-throwing prospect Jacob Misiorowski in the rotation, Civale said he wants to continue starting, even if that means getting traded. 'We're exploring opportunities for me to get back into a rotation, whether that's here or elsewhere,' Civale said Thursday. 'That type of decision is out of my hands. We're exploring the options to give me the chance to do what I do best, and that's to go out there and start.' Civale, who turned 30 on Thursday and is eligible for free agency after the season, spoke to the media before Misiorowski made his major league debut in the opener of a four-game series with the St. Louis Cardinals. Misiorowski's arrival gave Milwaukee a surplus of starting pitchers. Civale (1-2, 4.91 ERA) was the odd man out when the Brewers opted to go with a rotation of Misiorowski, Freddy Peralta (5-4, 2.69), José Quintana (4-1, 2.66), Quinn Priester (4-2 3.65) and Chad Patrick (3-6, 3.25). 'I'm not trying to leave this organization,' Civale said. 'I'm in a position physically where I feel like I can contribute best as a starting pitcher. Right now, that's not in my plans here. That's not to say that can't change, but the reason that would change is not necessarily a good thing. That means something happened to somebody else.' Although Civale has made two career postseason relief appearances in 2022 with Cleveland and 2024 with Milwaukee, he has been a starter for all his regular-season performances in the major leagues and minor leagues. Civale said his last regular-season relief performance came in college at Northeastern. 'Whatever's next, I'm not exactly sure what's going on,' said Civale, who owns a 40-37 carer record with a 4.06 ERA. 'This is typically early in the season for a trade to go down, but I know what I can do. I think a lot of people know what I can do. Whatever the next steps are, they are. Go from there.' Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy said he doesn't believe Civale's disenchantment should cause a distraction that might hinder the Brewers. 'We deal with players being unhappy all the time,' Murphy said. 'That's their right to do. Aaron's got a great history. He's performed well for this organization. He's got a right to feel the way he wants to feel. Now it's time for him to go behave, and he's got to go pitch for us if we ask him to pitch for us. And I think he will. He's that type of guy. I respect him a great deal.' Civale said he will do what the team wants from him. Civale said he'd be ready to work out of the bullpen as early as Saturday, since that would be five days after his last start. 'If I end up finding my way back to the rotation here, that's awesome,' Civale said. 'If it's somewhere else, that's awesome too. But for the time being, I'll do what's asked of me, go out there and compete . That's what I do best.' The Brewers acquired Civale from the Tampa Bay Rays last July, and he signed a one-year, $8 million contract in the offseason that enabled him to avoid arbitration. Civale had joined Tampa Bay a year earlier in a trade-deadline deal with the Cleveland Guardians. Civale went on the injured list thsis year after straining his hamstring in his first start of the season, a 12-3 loss to the New York Yankees before going on the injured list with a hamstring strain. He returned to action May 22 and has allowed seven runs over 19 innings in four starts since. 'This is not a situation where I'm trying to leave this team,' Civale said. 'The other guys are great. The coaching staff's great. The players are great. I really love competing with all of them. It's just I feel like I still have more to contribute and more to this game, and I feel like I'm best suited to do that as a starting pitcher. I've worked very hard to get to this position. 'There's no ill will toward anybody. This city has been a great home to me and my wife for the past year. I know there's probably going to be some animosity towards this type of thing. There's a negative connotation when this type of thing comes around, but I'm just trying to do what's best.' ___ AP MLB:
Washington Post
30 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Tigers option struggling reliever Beau Brieske to Triple-A Toledo
BALTIMORE — The Detroit Tigers optioned reliever Beau Brieske to Triple-A Toledo on Thursday, one day after the right-hander was hit hard in a 10-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles. Brieske gave up five runs, three hits and two walks in 1/3 inning on Wednesday night. The poor outing, which lifted his ERA to 6.55, led to his demotion to the minors.
