The Denver Nuggets have shockingly fired their champion head coach, Michael Malone.
ESPN’s Shams Charania broke the news via X.
Head coach Michael Malone of the Denver Nuggets looks on against the Golden State Warriors in the fourth quarter at Chase Center on April 04, 2025 in San Francisco, California. Head coach Michael Malone of the Denver Nuggets looks on against the Golden State Warriors in the fourth quarter at Chase Center on April 04, 2025 in San Francisco, California. Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images
Malone was dismissed just a few days before the end of the regular season. The Nuggets move on from Malone after being the winningest coach in team history.
Malone coached the Nuggets for 10 seasons and led them to their first and only title in 2023. Charania also noted that the Nuggets informed Malone of his dismissal in a meeting on Tuesday morning.
David Adelman, the Nuggets’ assistant coach, is set to take over as head coach. Denver has three games left in the season and is currently the No. 4 seed in the loaded Western Conference with a 47-32 record.
Denver has lost four of its last five games. While their schedule has been a bit rough, they were also without their star guard, Jamal Murray, for that stretch. Still, the Nuggets’ front office felt that it was time for a change, and it wasted no time doing so with the playoffs a week away.
The Nuggets can finish as high as the No. 3 seed in the West, as they are only half a game behind the current No. 3 seed, the Los Angeles Lakers.
Malone has the most wins by an NBA coach over the last five years and by a bit of a margin with 252 wins. Behind him are Clippers head coach Ty Lue (230), Warriors head coach Steve Kerr (228), Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau (225), and Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra (219).
Malone has also led the Nuggets to eight consecutive winning seasons and six consecutive playoff berths.
In 798 games in Denver, the 53-year-old has tallied a 471-327 record, which is a win percentage of .590. In the playoffs, he has led the Nuggets to a 44-36 record, which is a .550 winning percentage.
The Nuggets will close out their season against the Sacramento Kings, the Memphis Grizzlies, and the Houston Rockets on Sunday.
The New York native will now undoubtedly be the hottest and best free agent coach in this hiring cycle. Teams like the Kings (where he previously coached), the Grizzlies, and possibly many more teams will give Malone a call as early as next week.
More NBA news: Nuggets’ Jamal Murray Receives Unfortunate Update Ahead of Playoffs
Lakers Beat Thunder as Rookie Bronny James Contributes in Win
Man Who Scammed Dwight Howard Out of $7 Million Sentenced to Multiple Years in Prison
For NBA news, head on over to Newsweek Sports.
