IOWA CITY, IOWA (AP) - Hall of Fame basketball coach Don Nelson returned to the University of Iowa on Saturday to receive his bachelor’s degree in physical education, 50 years after leaving school for the NBA.
Nelson left school in 1962 needing to finish eight hours of Spanish and a student-teaching requirement. Meanwhile, Nelson took classes as a player with the Celtics and coach in Golden State.
This year, the university finally agreed to waive his student-teaching requirement because of Nelson’s three-plus decades coaching in the NBA.
Nelson, the all-time winningest coach in NBA history with 1,355 wins, says it’s never too late to get a degree.
He said he was inspired to get his degree by Shaquille O’Neal, who recently went back to LSU and got his degree.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.