According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, confirmed by the organization, Michael Malone has been fired as the head coach of the Denver Nuggets.
In a rather shocking move, something of this magnitude to be considered historic, Denver only have three games left in the regular season. They hold a 47-32 record, which placed them for fourth in the Western Conference.
Malone is a highly respected coach within the NBA, as he is Denver’s winningest head coach in franchise history. Plus, in 2023, fans around the world saw him, Nikola Jokic, and Jamal Murray win the NBA Finals.
The owner of the Nuggets says they’ll remain competitive, still compete for a championship, as this move allows them to go higher than before.
“This decision was not made lightly,” Josh Kroenke, vice chairman of Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, said in a team statement. “And was evaluated very carefully, and we do it only with the intention of giving our group the best chance at competing for the 2025 NBA Championship and delivering another title to Denver and our fans everywhere.
“While the timing of this decision is unfortunate, as Coach Malone helped build the foundation of our now championship-level program, it is a necessary step to allow us to compete at the highest level right now. Championship-level standards and expectations remain in place for the current season, and as we look to the future, we look forward to building on the foundations laid by Coach Malone over his record-breaking 10-year career in Denver.”
While fans were still trying to process the ground-breaking news, Denver announced that assistant coach David Adelman will become the interim head coach. Adelman has been with the team since 2017.