The University of North Carolina has reportedly identified its new leader for the basketball program, and the selection is quite unexpected. According to ESPN, Michael Malone, formerly the head coach of the Denver Nuggets and an NBA championship recipient, is set to take the reins of the team after Hubert Davis’s dismissal.
Malone, aged 54, possesses prior experience as an assistant coach at the collegiate level, but he has never before served as a head coach for a university.
His appointment draws parallels with UNC’s decision to hire Bill Belichick as their football head coach, a move made despite the renowned NFL strategist lacking any previous head-coaching tenure in college sports.
The bulk of Malone’s head-coaching tenure occurred within the NBA, where, following numerous years as an assistant, he eventually ascended to the primary coaching position with the Sacramento Kings.
Malone remained with the Kings for a season and a half, accumulating a 39-67 record prior to his termination.
He quickly secured another opportunity, joining the Nuggets. After two consecutive seasons of losing records, Malone revitalized the Denver franchise, transforming the Nuggets into consistent contenders in the Western Conference.
Following a 46-36 performance during the 2017-18 NBA campaign that saw the squad narrowly miss the playoffs, Malone then guided Denver to an impressive six consecutive postseason appearances. The team advanced beyond the first round in five of those six playoff journeys, frequently reaching deep stages of the tournament.
Malone’s tenure with the Nuggets reached its pinnacle during the 2022-23 NBA season, as he steered the organization to its inaugural championship. Fueled by the exceptional play of Nikola Jokić, the Nuggets triumphed over the Miami Heat in five games to claim the ultimate prize.
However, this success did not guarantee long-term stability for Malone. The Nuggets once again qualified for the playoffs the subsequent season, though they were eliminated in the semifinals by the Minnesota Timberwolves. Despite the team being poised for another playoff berth during the 2024-25 NBA season, the Nuggets astonished the league by relieving Malone and general manager Calvin Booth of their duties with only three regular-season games remaining.
Assistant coach David Adelman assumed control and guided the Nuggets back to the semifinals, where they ultimately lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Adelman currently has the Nuggets positioned strongly for another playoff run this season.
In spite of his remarkable period with the Nuggets, Malone was unable to secure an NBA head-coaching position during the offseason. He subsequently chose a career in broadcasting, appearing on ESPN throughout the 2024-25 NBA playoffs and later committing to join the network’s “NBA Countdown” program after failing to be hired by an NBA team in the offseason.
At UNC, Malone will encounter an environment that is both novel and somewhat familiar. After his collegiate playing days at Loyola, Malone initially served as a high school basketball assistant before transitioning to the college ranks, where he worked as an assistant at Oakland, Providence, and Manhattan, eventually moving to the NBA as an assistant with the New York Knicks. UNC will mark his inaugural opportunity to lead a college program as its head coach.
And considerable expectations await him. Following an encouraging first season under Davis, UNC has faced ongoing disappointment and premature tournament exits over the last four years. The most recent instance, a first-round defeat to No. 11 seed VCU, led to Davis’s dismissal.
Reports indicate that UNC conducted an exhaustive search to recruit a new coach capable of restoring the program to its former championship caliber. Nevertheless, some of the prominent individuals considered for the role — including Arizona’s Tommy Lloyd, Alabama’s Nate Oats, and Florida’s Todd Golden, among others — chose to remain in their current roles, declining UNC’s overtures.
The institution also reportedly contacted Iowa’s Ben McCollum, according to CBSSports.com, but McCollum opted not to interview for the role.
Discussions between UNC and Malone reportedly advanced rapidly over the preceding 18 hours, culminating in his unexpected appointment on Monday.
While the swiftness of the process might be attributed to Malone’s desire to assume a new head-coaching role after being out of the NBA this season, it was likely also influenced by the fact that his daughter currently plays for UNC’s volleyball team.
At UNC, Malone will be tasked with revitalizing a program that was once a consistent contender for a national championship. Under the stewardship of long-serving coach Roy Williams, the program achieved this feat three times during his 18-year tenure at UNC.
Following Williams’ retirement, Davis — who had been a long-time assistant under Williams — was appointed to succeed his mentor. After guiding the team all the way to the NCAA tournament championship game in his debut season, Davis appeared to be a strong candidate. However, repeated setbacks, particularly in the 2022-23 season when UNC began the year as the nation’s top-ranked team but subsequently failed to qualify for the 64-team tournament, have led to diminished expectations and a reduced potential for UNC.
Given the program’s storied history of success, UNC required a coach with the ability to restore the team to championship-contender status. Malone achieved this in the NBA. Now, he will determine if his coaching philosophy can successfully translate to the collegiate game.
