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Ex-Warriors coach Don Nelson opens Hawaii rentals to residents after Maui wildfires ravage homes

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James Foglio
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James Foglio Sports Editor

James is a Basketball Insiders contributor. He earned his bachelor's degree in English and Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University. James enjoys watching sports and helping gamblers win money.

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Sports Editor

Updated15 Aug 2023

Ex-Golden State Warriors coach Don Nelson opens Hawaii homes to residents after Maui wildfires

Former Golden State Warriors coach Don Nelson and his wife, Joy Wolfgram, are reportedly leasing their West Maui rental properties for free to local evacuee residents. Mauians are now homeless after their houses were destroyed in the second-deadliest wildfire disaster in U.S. history.

Last Tuesday, alerts from the National Weather Service in Honolulu were declared because of Hurricane Dora. The strong winds caused wildfires to ravage most of the small town of Lahaina. As of Tuesday, August 15, 2023, the death toll has climbed to 99. At least 1,000 people remain missing.

“We’re doing the best we can, but we only have space for about 24 people,” Nelson told San Francisco Chronicle in a phone interview Monday. “There are thousands of people homeless right now. It’s overwhelming.”

In 2011, Nelson began investing in local real estate. The three-time NBA Coach of the Year (1983, 1985, 1992) started his business as a side gig. The NBA Hall of Famer also hosted local poker games with celebrities such as Owen Wilson, Willie Nelson, and Woody Harrelson.

Now, he owns and operates a successful rental company on Hawaii’s second-largest island. In November 2017, Nelson listed his 2,738-sq ft home in Hanalei on the market for $15 million.

“It’s the most beautiful place I’ve ever been to, and I think it’s the most beautiful place in the world,” Nelson said of Maui. “I haven’t really left in eight years. Why would I? Life is so good here.”

Former Golden State Warriors coach Don Nelson is opening his Hawaii rental homes to residents after Maui wildfires ravaged hundreds of homes

Don Nelson, 83, is also calling on other landlords to help shelter Lahaina evacuees. “I’m not going anywhere,” Nelson added. “This is home. Right now, it needs all our help.”

Furthermore, a firefighter currently in the hospital for smoke inhalation is expected to move into a trailer home that Nelson owns once he’s release, according to the Chronicle.

None of Nelson’s properties were damaged in the wildfires. Equally important, the home he bought 24 miles south of Lahaina nearly 30 years ago will help provide immediate shelter for a larger family.

According to the Associated Press, the American Red Cross announced 575 evacuees were spread across five shelters as of Monday. FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell told CNN that the agency has “a limited amount of funding that can help support some repairs to homes but as we see here, there is no repairing some of these homes.”

“So if they don’t have enough insurance, they have a little bit of funding from FEMA,” Criswell said. “We can also work with our partners like the Small Business Administration, who can do small home loans for up to $500,000.”

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said thousands of people will need housing for at least 36 weeks. Therefore, Maui residents are thankful for the generosity of the former Golden State Warriors coach.

At the moment, the Cloquet forest fire in Carlton County, Minnesota, remains the deadliest fire in U.S. history. On October 12, 1918, 453 people died and 52,000 people were injured or displaced.

Additionally, a total of 38 communities were destroyed and 250,000 acres were burned. Not to mention, $73 million ($1.42 billion in 2023 U.S. dollars) in property damage was sustained.

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