Ahead of Tuesday night's Golden State Warriors preseason game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Stephen Curry took the mic to deliver a special message. It was officially "Nellie Night" to honor the late Don Nelson, a basketball coaching legend who was Curry's coach early in his Warriors career. Nelson, also a five-time NBA champion as a player, died in August at age 86.
Golden State's jerseys notably featured yellow "Nellie" patches across the shoulder area as a way to honor Nelson throughout their upcoming season "I just want to welcome you back on our behalf. As you might notice, we have a new patch on our jersey this year to honor our former head coach, Mr. Give it up for him," Curry told the crowd.
"He's second on the all-time list of wins in NBA history. He was my coach back in 2009 with some amazing guys who are here right now." More news: LeBron James’ Lingering Health Issue Raises Concern Ahead of 76ers Season Curry referred to him as "an icon in the Bay area" and revealed the team will honor him all year by wearing the Nellie patches. "We want to thank you all for coming to Nellie Night.
Let's have a great night," he said before heading to the sidelines to prepare to play. Nelson was Curry's coach for his rookie season before the Warriors dynasty emerged, with Curry going on to win back-to-back MVP awards and four NBA championships. Nelson won 1,335 games as a head coach in his NBA career, including his coaching stints with the Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, and Dallas Mavericks.
Golden State won on "Nellie Night," 124-98 over a Lakers team playing their reserves. Luka Doncic sat out after appearing in his team's previous preseason game, his first action since he was sidelined with injury late last season, and teammates Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler didn't play either. While Curry didn't win championships or awards with Nelson as his coach, he played an instrumental part in his development as an NBA rookie before Mark Jackson, and ultimately, Steve Kerr, took over as Warriors coach.
In Tuesday's game, Curry played 14 minutes and finished with 16 points, five assists, and two rebounds. Rookie teammate Yaxel Lendeborg led all Warriors with 17 points, while Brandin Podziemski contributed 16. Draymond Green also played, scoring three points to go with eight assists and three rebounds in the win.
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