Basketball HOF coach opens homes to those impacted by Hawaii wildfires

Basketball Hall of Fame coach Don Nelson is doing what he can to assist in the recovery from the devastating wildfires that have hit Lahaina, Hawaii this month.

The 83-year-old, along with his wife Joy, have been working hard over the last week to allow those who lost their homes to have access to their short-term Maui rentals. The Nelsons have been leasing the properties for free to those in need, according to Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle.

The catastrophe has been reported as the deadliest wildfires the U.S. has seen in more than 100 years, with the death toll "closing in on the 100 mark" at 99 on Monday, per the Associated Press. 

Gov. Josh Green said that he expects the number of fatalities to rise by 10 to 20 more per day during the ongoing search for survivors. It was reported Tuesday morning that there are still about 1,300 people missing.

"We’re doing the best we can, but we only have space for about 24 people," Nelson told Letourneau. "There are thousands of people homeless right now. It’s overwhelming."

After retiring from coaching in 2010, Nelson moved to West Maui full time, per Letourneau, and the three-time NBA Coach of the Year began investing in local real estate, which has become a "thriving rental company."

Fortunately, the Nelson family home (located 24 miles south of Lahaina) wasn't damaged, as was the case with the other properties.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle report, it's not just Don who's been helping in the wake of the natural disaster. The coach's daughter, Lee Anderson, "converted the Kihei wedding venue she runs into a distribution center for essential goods," while Joy has been spending much of her time there, "handing out meals to the homeless, stacking Amazon packages and calling nearby shelters."

Nelson played 14 seasons in the NBA from 1962 to 1976, winning five championships (all with the Boston Celtics). He began coaching with the Milwaukee Bucks during the 1976-77 campaign and won a pair of Coach of the Year honors during his 11-year tenure.

Nelson then had two stints with the Golden State Warriors (1988-1995, 2006-2010), as well as one with the New York Knicks (1995-96) and Dallas Mavericks (1997-2005), picking up another Coach of the Year Award with the Dubs in 1992.

He led his teams to 18 playoff appearances but never made it to an NBA Finals from the bench. Nelson's squads fell in the conference semifinals a stunning 11 times, while being eliminated in the conference finals four times, including three times in four seasons with the Bucks.

Still, Nelson is regarded as one of the best coaches in NBA history and had the all-time record for regular-season wins with 1,335 for 12 years. Recent Hall of Fame inductee Gregg Popovich surpassed the mark in 2022.