Editors note: This is the fourth story in a series profiling the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2012.

Dont hate on Don Nelson after reading about the life he has led and is still leading.

An early investor in the Hawaiian Island of Maui where he owns beachfront and farming real estate and lives fulltime, Nelson spent 50 years in the NBA as a player and a coach.

Now hes going into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Nelson and the rest of the class of 2012 will be Enshrined on Friday at Symphony Hall, a moment the man known as Nellie never thought would happen.

I was nominated four times and got rejected four times so I figured it wasnt going to happen, Nelson said. I had this wonderful friend of mine who died this year, Jim Fitzgerald, who wanted me to be in so bad. He kept putting my name in I guess.

But I never really thought I was that worthy of going in, Nelson added. I never won a title or anything like that and usually thats pretty important for getting in.

What he did win was 1,335 NBA games, putting him second to none for coaching wins in the NBA. He coached 31 years in the NBA, beginning with the Milwaukee Bucks for the first 11. He coached Golden State for a total of 11 years over two stints, spent eight years in Dallas and coached one year in New York.

And while a title eluded him, Nelson garnered three Coach of the Year Awards, joining Pat Riley as the only ones to accomplish the feat.

Nelson wasnt the kind of coach who wanted him next job to be an easy one. Building a team and making it into a competitor was more his speed.

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Don Nelson caps great coaching career with entry into Basketball Hall of Fame