Don Nelson has retired from coaching in the NBA to lead a life of luxury. These days, Nelson spends his time living in Hawaii, where he regularly plays poker with celebrities Willie Nelson, Owen Wilson, and Woody Harrelson, and grows his own marijuana.
Don Nelson was inspired to grow his own pot called ‘Nellie Kush’ after playing poker with Willie Nelson
The former coach has found a new passion in retirement.
Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
That’s the biggest takeaway from Nelson’s sit down with the New York Times, which also looks back at his career as a player and a coach. Nelson has a medical card for his pot use to help deal with lingering pain following a 14-year NBA playing career. He grows it, and doesn’t sell it.
In a shocking twist, hanging out with Willie Nelson got him to try the drug.
Have you been into cannabis for long?
No, I didn’t smoke until maybe three or four years ago. I never smoked when I was coaching. I just started. Willie (Nelson) got me smoking.
He would do it.
He would do it. I didn’t think I’d ever be a pot smoker, but hanging out with Willie and Woody and guys like that, you know, everybody smokes in those games. It just became kind of natural. Usually you’re smoking with your friends, sitting around, telling stories, you smoke a bowl. It’s not that I smoke all the time. I usually just smoke at night during poker games. Like Willie told me, it’s hard to be depressed when you’re smoking pot.
Nelson calls his homegrown strain Nellie Kush. Now you know.
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