Former Nuggets head coach Michael Malone is the surprising choice as North Carolina’s new head coach, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reports.
North Carolina had been looking for a high-profile coach to take over the program after firing Hubert Davis. Final Four coaches Tommy Lloyd and Dusty May were reportedly high on the wish list but both opted to stay put at their respective universities. Bulls coach Billy Donovan was also a prominent target, according to The Athletic’s Brendan Marks, so the hiring of Malone came seemingly out of nowhere.
Malone, 54, is the all-time winningest coach in Denver history with a 471-327 career record and led the Nuggets to their only NBA championship in 2023. He has since spent time as an analyst and commentator for ESPN. Malone certainly would have been high on the list of many NBA teams looking for new coaches this offseason and beyond. Instead, he chose to take over an elite college program.
In his Sunday column, Marc Stein reported that the Bulls would like to retain Donovan, who received a multiyear extension after the Knicks were denied permission to talk to him about their head coaching vacancy last summer. Donovan reportedly wanted to wait until after the season concluded on Sunday to potentially meet with the Tar Heels, but North Carolina decided to pivot to Malone.
With the UNC off the table, Donovan could be more inclined to remain in his current job.
Whoa
WE FIRED AKME! I MIGHT START MY OWN CELEBRATION AT GRANT PARK!!!
I’ll be at Oz Park near Wrigley, but if there’s no one running today, I’ll head over to Foster Beach and shoot jumpers in the wind !!
Woooow; I guess Malone is tired of being done dirty in the league, but this feels really left field. I’ve always liked Malone. I hope he does well
Agreed. Shocker big time.
Honestly I don’t think he is that great of a coach. Yes he won but with the best player in the NBA. Other than that championship (doc Rivers) what else has he done. The team barely won that championship. And we’re in game 7 with a different coach with the champions last year. I think we get caught up in guys names like we did with doc Rivers for years and years and years. I just really don’t think he adjusts well with players. Jokic didn’t like him And he pretty much underachieved and had he not won the championship the year he won they were going to fire him at the end of that year
When I said I liked him I meant more his personality like as a commentator; he’s been surprisingly funny at that gig this season; X’s and O’s wise, if he’s not that great then he’ll be better at the college level, idk
Ok… so if they don’t hire Malone, who do they hire? Someone WITHOUT an NBA championship?
Someone with or without an NCAA championship?
It’s all a crapshoot when hiring a coach.
You think Malone isn’t a great coach because he had a great player?
So, the other 29 coaches are better because they DIDNT have Jokic?
Malone is more than capable of coaching some college guys.
This should be a bit better than Belichick but UNC may still struggle. Malone has a kid that goes there so that no doubt helped him decide.
wow… I would have put money on Donovan.. especially after the bulls cleared out the front office (which means he’s about to be unemployed) …. UNC musta not liked something Donavan said … has malone ever even recruited?
Malone is a real basketball coach. Not the typical NBA babysitter type. Probably why he was axed in DEN. It was almost certainly why he wasn’t even on the NYK shopping list last offseason.
Surprising decision, but not shocking. If the NBA is moving away from real coaches, maybe its time that real coaches like him (while he’s still young enough) move away from the NBA. It’s actually a good time for a HC to make this kind of move. He’ll have to master the art of assessing 18-21 year old kids, on and off the court. If he can, he’ll have UNC back on top quickly.
Can’t believe he’s going to coach college. Maybe he wants stability for his family. UNC is a top job in college. Definitely a good place for a guy who loves coaching. Wow speechless..
Wish him the best. UNC is getting a good guy.
It’s a fantastic hire for UNC. Malone is a teacher and he gets to work with young players. In the new NIL era college is kind of like a pro now. So in a way a pro coach might be even better equipped to work with top college players now. Yes, college is different. Recruiting is different. However, recruiting has changed from the old days.. it’s all about NIL money. Malone will be successful at UNC and as a Duke fan, I am very worried. :(
He’s a mediocre coach who is good with the media (which is why his PR is so positive). Very poor in-game manager or x’s and o’s planner, more a cheerleader than leader. I bet he turns out to be an unenthusiastic recruiter (something he’s never had to do before). As soon as his kid graduates I bet he starts looking for an NBA assistant job (he’ll never get a top job).
What a poor take. He won a title. Why wouldnt he get another chance? He’s got plenty experience. Yes, he got a bit big headed, but he’ll learn from it.
He got a raw deal in Denver and should still be the coach.
I’m guessing he’s going to college because he knows he will have a job as long as he wins and the players don’t run the team like the NBA.
Maybe it’s his ego. It’s one of the best jobs in college and he wants to win at that level. In nba, he actually got along mostly with the stars. He had problem with his GM and prolly the new owner in Denver.
Malone also had some guarantee yrs left on his Denver contract when he was fired. That is why he was broadcasting.