NBA Legend Don Nelson Spends His Days Getting High, Operating A Weed Farm & Playing Poker With Dead People

don nelson

This may be difficult for some to remember, but there was a time when the Golden State Warriors were one of the most moribund franchises in the NBA.

People forget, but from 1992 to 2012, the Warriors made the playoffs just once. 20 years, one playoff berth. Absolutely horrendous.

That one playoff berth, though? It came with NBA head coaching legend Don Nelson at the helm back in 2006.

Largely considered one of the top 10 coaches in the history of the National Basketball Association, Don Nelson perhaps isn’t the household name he should be with today’s generation because he was never fortunate enough to win an NBA title.

And while Nelson ultimately retired from coaching in the year 2010 without ever winning a ring, it hasn’t seemed to have much of an impact on his retirement, as he’s gleefully spent the last nine or so years … smoking and growing a fuck ton of pot.

While Nelson’s affection for the devil’s lettuce has been public knowledge for some time now, an upcoming feature on Real Sports with Bryant Gumble about the legendary NBA coach’s post-career life shows just how deep into the bud game ole Donny Nelson has gotten.

Nelson — who was introduced to weed by legendary musician Willie Nelson after his retirement — currently lives in Hawaii, smoking weed every day as he manages a 22-acre farm.

“You gotta treat it like a baby You gotta water ‘em. You gotta have music for ‘em. You gotta bless ‘em,” Nelson said of his precious marijuana plants.

Nelson’s life doesn’t totally revolve around getting high, though, as he also makes sure to squeeze in plenty of late night poker games with his buddies, including one whose heart literally stopped beating at the table.

So, uh, yeah… needless to say, Nellie’s post-NBA-life has been quite interesting.

The Don Nelson episode of Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel will air Tuesday, June 25 at 10 p.m. EST on HBO.