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3d ago

Don Nelson Wears Luka Doncic Shoes at Chuck Daly Award to Protest Mavericks Trade

He used his award platform to denounce Dallas’s decision to send Doncic to the Lakers as a “tremendous mistake.”

Jun 8, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; former general manager Don Nelson speaks to the media before game two between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers in the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
The shoes worn by Don Nelson during Game 2 of this year's NBA Finals.
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OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - JUNE 8: Don Nelson talks to the media after receiving the 2025 Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award before the game between the Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder during Game 2 of the 2025 NBA Finals on June 8, 2025 at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)

Overview

  • Don Nelson was presented with the National Basketball Coaches Association’s 2025 Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award before Game 2 of the NBA Finals.
  • At a pregame news conference, Nelson arrived wearing Luka Doncic’s new signature shoes in silent protest of the Mavericks’ midseason trade of the star guard to the Los Angeles Lakers.
  • Nelson spent eight seasons coaching the Mavericks and played a key role in the draft-day deal that brought Doncic to Dallas in 2018.
  • Drawing on Red Auerbach’s Celtics model, Nelson reaffirmed his belief that franchises should retain generational talents for life and honor their legacies.
  • Doncic acknowledged Nelson’s gesture on Instagram by posting a photo of the coach in his shoes with the caption “Congratulations coach, nice shoes!”