Michael Malone (born September 15, 1971) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

coach who most recently served as the head coach for the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA). He is currently an analyst for

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

. He had also been the head coach of the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Confere ...

in 2013–2014. Malone previously served as an assistant coach of the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers, often referred to as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...

New Orleans Hornets New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

, and

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...

Early life and education

Born in the Astoria neighborhood of the New York City borough

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

, Malone is the son of

Brendan Malone Brendan Thomas Malone (April 21, 1935 – October 10, 2023) was an American professional basketball coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Early life Brendan Thomas Malone was born on April 21, 1935. He grew up in Astoria, Queens ...

, a former NBA head coach. Malone began his high school playing career at Bishop Hendricken in

Warwick, Rhode Island Warwick ( or ) is a city in Kent County, Rhode Island, United States, and is the third-largest city in the state, with a population of 82,823 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Warwick is located approximately south of downtown Pr ...

, from 1984–1986 while his father was head coach at the

University of Rhode Island The University of Rhode Island (URI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Kingston, Rhode Island, United States. It is the flagship public research as well as the land-grant university of Rhode Island. The univer ...

. He transferred to

Seton Hall Preparatory School Seton Hall Preparatory School, generally called Seton Hall Prep, SHP, or "The Prep", is a Roman Catholic all boys' high school located in the suburban community of West Orange in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating under ...

after his father joined the

coaching staff as an assistant. Following graduation from Seton Hall, Malone attended prep school at

Worcester Academy Worcester Academy is a co-ed private boarding school in Worcester, Massachusetts serving grades 6-12. It is the oldest school founded in Worcester, Massachusetts, and one of the oldest day-boarding schools in the United States. A coeducation ...

during the 1988–89 school year. He then attended

Loyola University Maryland Loyola University Maryland is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit university in Baltimore, Maryland. Established as Loyola College in Maryland by John Early (educator), John Early and eight other members of the Society of Je ...

, playing on the

Loyola Greyhounds men's basketball The Loyola Greyhounds men's basketball team represents Loyola University Maryland in National Collegiate Athletic Association NCAA Division I, Division I competition. It became a member of the Patriot League along with the university's other inter ...

team from 1989 to 1993. He appeared in 107 games and started 39 of them as a point guard. He graduated in 1994 with a degree in history. During his four seasons with the Greyhounds, Malone totaled 370 points, 279 assists, and 79 steals in 18.5 minutes per game.

Coaching career

College (1994–2001)

While completing his degree at Loyola, Malone was an assistant high school basketball coach at

Friends School of Baltimore Friends School of Baltimore is a private Quaker school in Baltimore, Maryland, Baltimore, serving students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. History It is the oldest private school in Baltimore, founded in 1784 by members of the Religious ...

. After graduating from Loyola, Malone joined

Oakland University Oakland University (OU or Oakland) is a public university, public research university in Auburn Hills, Michigan, Auburn Hills and Rochester Hills, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1957 through a donation of Matilda Dodge Wilson and husband ...

as an assistant coach for Golden Grizzlies men's basketball under coach

Greg Kampe Greg Charles Kampe (; born December 9, 1955) is an American college basketball coach and the current head men's basketball coach at Oakland University. He guided the Oakland Golden Grizzlies men's basketball, Golden Grizzlies to their first NCAA ...

. Malone was about to start training to join the

Michigan State Police The Michigan State Police (MSP) is the State police (United States), state police agency for the U.S. state of Michigan. The MSP is a full-service law enforcement agency, with its sworn members having full police powers statewide. The department ...

before getting a job offer from

Providence College Providence College is a Private university, private Roman Catholic university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1917 by the Dominican Order and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence, it offers 47 undergraduate Academic ...

coach

Pete Gillen Peter Joseph Gillen (born June 20, 1947) is an American former college basketball head coach of the Division I Providence Friars and Virginia Cavaliers and is a member of the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame. Gillen is currently a college ...

. Malone was an assistant coach for

Providence Friars men's basketball The Providence Friars men's basketball team represents Providence College in NCAA Division I competition. They were a founding member of the original Big East Conference from 1979 until 2013, and are now a member of the current Big East Conf ...

from 1995 to 1998. In the 1998–99 season, Malone was director of men's basketball administration at the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...

Early NBA years (2001–2011)

He later moved up to the NBA in 2001 as a coaching associate with the

who worked with players, coaching staff, personnel and the video coordinator and edited scouting reports. The Knicks promoted Malone to assistant coach in 2003. Malone later served as an assistant coach for the

from to . With Cleveland, Malone helped coach the Cavaliers to five consecutive playoff appearances, including the 2007 Finals, and a franchise-record, league-best 66–16 season in the . Malone was an assistant coach with the

in the . Allowing a league-best 8.7 fewer points per game than the previous season, the Hornets had the most improved defense with Malone as assistant and made the 2011 Playoffs.

Golden State Warriors (2011–2013)

The

hired Malone in the summer of 2011 as an assistant coach under

Mark Jackson Mark A. Jackson (born April 1, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player who was a point guard in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the St. John's Red Storm and was selected by the New ...

. In the , the Warriors improved from a 23–43 record to finish 47–35 and earn the team's first playoff berth since 2007. As the sixth seed in the 2013 playoffs, the Warriors upset the third-seed

in the first round and lost to the eventual Western Conference champion

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

in six games the next round. Malone was reportedly the highest-paid NBA assistant coach in the . In 2012, Malone was named the best assistant coach by the NBA general managers. After his departure, several Warriors, including

Draymond Green Draymond Jamal Green (born March 4, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Green, who plays primarily at the Power forward (basketball), power forward pos ...

and

Stephen Curry Wardell Stephen Curry II ( ; born March 14, 1988) is an American professional basketball player and point guard for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "Chef Curry", he is widely regarded as the ...

, credited Malone as being a huge part of the team's success.

Sacramento Kings (2013–2014)

On June 3, 2013, Malone was hired by majority owner

Vivek Ranadivé Vivek Yeshwant Ranadivé ( ; born 7 October 1957) is an Indian-American business executive, engineer, author, speaker and philanthropist.D'Agostino, RyanThe Man Who Knows Everything ''Esquire''. 19 January 2012. Ranadivé is the founder and for ...

as the new head coach of the

. With the hiring, Malone and his father became the second father-son duo in NBA history, after

Bill Musselman William Clifford Musselman (September 13, 1940 – May 5, 2000) was an American basketball coach in the NCAA, the ABA, the WBA, the CBA, and the NBA. Early life Musselman was the second of five children. His father, Clifford Musselman, was an ...

and

Eric Musselman Eric Musselman (born November 19, 1964) is an American college basketball coach who is currently the head coach at the University of Southern California. He is the former head coach at the University of Arkansas, University of Nevada, Reno, the ...

, to head coach an NBA team. On December 15, 2014, he was fired by the Kings after starting the 2014–15 season with an 11–13 win–loss record.

Denver Nuggets (2015–2025)

On June 15, 2015, Malone was named the new head coach of the

. In the , he led the Nuggets to the second seed in the Western Conference, behind the

, with a 54–28 record. In the Nuggets first playoff berth in six seasons, Denver defeated the

in the first round in seven games, before being eliminated in the semifinals by the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (N ...

, also in seven games. On December 24, 2019, the Nuggets announced that they had agreed to a contract extension with Malone. During the 2020 playoffs in the

NBA Bubble The 2020 NBA Bubble was the bio-secure bubble at Walt Disney World in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando, that was created by the National Basketball Association (NBA) to protect its players from the COVID-19 pandemic during the final eight games of ...

, the Nuggets would become the first team in league history to overcome multiple 3–1 deficits in a single postseason, defeating the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Since the 1991–92 season, the ...

and

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The ...

in the first round and semifinals, respectively. Despite the historic feat, Denver would be eliminated in the Western Conference finals by the eventual NBA champion, the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

, in five games. On March 23, 2022, Malone and the Nuggets reached an agreement on a multi-year contract extension. In the , outside of a few instances of being tied with the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division of the ...

, the Nuggets held sole position of the top seed in the Western Conference from December 20 until the end of the regular season, earning Malone a second

All-Star Game An all-star game is an exhibition game that showcases the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or division, bu ...

coaching gig in five years in the process. The Nuggets defeated the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves (often referred to as the Wolves or T-wolves) are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Divisio ...

in five games in the first round before needing six games to outlast

Devin Booker Devin Armani Booker (born October 30, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball, ...

, newly acquired

Kevin Durant Kevin Wayne Durant (born September 29, 1988), also known by his initials KD, is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Durant has won two List of NBA champions, NBA champ ...

and the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA), We ...

in the conference semifinals to advance to their second Conference Finals in four seasons. As in 2020, they were again be matched up with

LeBron James LeBron Raymone James Sr. ( ; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is the NBA's all-time leading scorer and ...

Anthony Davis Anthony Marshon Davis Jr. (born March 11, 1993), nicknamed "AD" and "the Brow", is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Davis, a Power forward (basketball), power f ...

, and the Los Angeles Lakers. Denver went on to sweep the Lakers and advance to their first NBA Finals in franchise history. It was also the first time a Nuggets team had ever swept an opponent in postseason history. In the 2023 Finals, Denver faced the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern C ...

, the first eighth seed to reach the Finals since the 1998–99 New York Knicks. Holding a 3–1 series advantage heading into Game 5, the Nuggets, who entered the game with a series shooting average of 37.6% from three-point range, shot a historically poor 6.7% from distance in the first half. Additionally, Denver committed 10 turnovers in the first half and missed 10 of their first 19 free throws. Despite their shooting struggles, the Nuggets came back from an early 10-point deficit to take an 83–76 lead with 4:43 left in the fourth quarter and would ultimately defeat Miami 94–89 at home to clinch the first championship title in their 47-year history.

Nikola Jokić Nikola Jokić ( ; sr-Cyrl, Никола Јокић ; born February 19, 1995) is a Serbian professional basketball player who is a Center (basketball), center for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the ...

was named the Finals MVP. On November 24, 2024, with a 127–102 win over the Los Angeles Lakers, Malone recorded his 433rd win with the Nuggets, surpassing

Doug Moe Douglas Edwin Moe (born September 21, 1938) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. As a head coach with the Denver Nuggets in the National Basketball Association (NBA), he was named the NBA Coach of the Year in 1988. Ea ...

for the most wins in franchise history. On April 8, 2025, after four consecutive losses, the Nuggets fired Malone and announced that they would not extend general manager

Calvin Booth Calvin Lawrence Booth (born May 7, 1976) is an American professional basketball executive and former player who was the general manager of the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played 10 seasons as a center in the N ...

's contract. Malone's dismissal, 79 games into the season, tied the latest in-season change by any team in NBA history, and became the latest for a playoff team.

National team coaching career

In January 2020, Malone joined the Serbian national team coaching staff as a consultant for the Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

Broadcasting career

After being fired by the Nuggets, Malone named as studio analyst for

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

Personal life

Malone and his wife have two children.

Head coaching record

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References

External links

NBA.com profile

– college basketball player statistics at Sports Reference {{DEFAULTSORT:Malone, Michael 1971 births Living people American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from New York (state) Basketball players from Queens, New York Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coaches Denver Nuggets head coaches Guards (basketball) Golden State Warriors assistant coaches Loyola Greyhounds men's basketball players Manhattan Jaspers men's basketball coaches NBA championship–winning head coaches New Orleans Hornets assistant coaches New York Knicks assistant coaches Oakland Golden Grizzlies men's basketball coaches Sportspeople from Lafayette, California Sportspeople from Placer County, California Providence Friars men's basketball coaches Sacramento Kings head coaches Seton Hall Preparatory School alumni Worcester Academy alumni 20th-century American sportsmen