The Golden State Warriors "We Believe" night at Oracle Arena on Thursday, honoring the memorable 2007 team that ended the franchise’s 13-year playoff drought and upset the first place Mavericks as an eighth seed in the first round of the 2007 NBA Playoffs.
As part of the festivities, several former Warriors players were on hand, including Jason Richardson and Stephen Jackson. Longtime coach Don Nelson was also in attendance, and he provided the sound bite of the night when asked about his post-retirement life.
In short, Nellie's been smoking some pot.
Since retiring, Nelson has retreated to Hawaii where he grows his own weed, including a strain called "Nellie Kush" which is a mixture of O.G and Hindu Kush.
During a 2018 interview in The New York Times, the Hall of Fame head coach revealed that Willie Nelson introduced him to weed, and that he now uses the plant to combat the lingering effects of injuries he sustained as a player during his 14-year NBA career.
And you’ve got an agrarian venture over here in Maui, too?
I’ve got a farm, yeah, I do. We grow some pot and flowers and coffee, and I’ve got a fish farm up there.
Pot?
I’ve got a medical card. I’m legal here. When any athlete gets old, every injury you have sustained seems to resurrect. It helps me deal with the pain without pain pills, and helps with that stress. […]
How is the quality?
Oh, it’s great. Great stuff. It’s called Nellie Kush. It’s O.G. and Hindu Kush. Hindu Kush is really good. It comes from India and the guy that brought it over mixed the two of them, so we’ve got Nellie Kush now.
He also told The Times, "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."