Why is UNC hiring Michael Malone? Tar Heels make stunning decision to bring in former Nuggets coach
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Why is UNC hiring Michael Malone? Tar Heels make stunning decision to bring in former Nuggets coach originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The University of North Carolina is hiring Michael Malone to be its next head coach, per ESPN's Pete Thamel.
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The Tar Heels were in need of a new head coach after firing Hubert Davis following a first-round exit in the 2026 NCAA Tournament. North Carolina has long been known for having a head coach with ties to the program, but with Davis' departure, a look outside the "Carolina coaching tree" could have been possible.
North Carolina was linked to Arizona's Tommy Lloyd and Michigan's Dusty May over Final Four weekend, but coaches made it clear that they were staying at their programs. The Tar Heels were also tied to current Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan, but UNC opted to go with Malone, who is a former head coach of the Denver Nuggets.
Here is more on why North Carolina hired Malone as its next head coach.
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Why is UNC hiring Michael Malone?
Malone has plenty of coaching experience. He was a college assistant for three schools from 1994 to 2001. Malone then made the jump to the NBA as an assistant from 2001 to 2013. He then got his first chance to be a head coach at any level, taking the job as head coach of the Sacramento Kings in 2013.
Malone lasted just one full season, and after an 11-13 start to the 2014-2015 season, he was fired by Sacramento. He was then hired by the Nuggets the next season and spent 10 years with the organization, winning the 2023 NBA Championship.
Thamel said on ESPN that the school opted to go "outside the family" to usher in a new era of Carolina basketball.
Michael Malone contract details
The specific details of Malone's contract, including salary and length, have not yet been released.
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What is Michael Malone's connection to UNC?
North Carolina's last three head coaches have been from the school's coaching tree. From Dean Smith to Bill Guthridge, Matt Doherty, Roy Williams and Davis, the school has been a place where someone with a connection to coaching at the school comes and finishes out their coaching career (assuming Davis doesn't take another job elsewhere). For the last 65 years, the head coach at the University of North Carolina either had previously coached there or played there until Malone.
Malone doesn't have an official coaching connection to North Carolina. His daughter goes to UNC and is currently a member of the women's volleyball team.
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Michael Malone coaching timeline
Malone began coaching at the high school level and then worked his way up. He was an assistant at the college level and spent 12 years as an assistant in the NBA before he got his first chance at being a head coach. Since he was fired by the Nuggets, Malone has been with ESPN as an NBA analyst.
- Friends School of Baltimore assistant (1993-1994)
- Oakland assistant (1994-1995)
- Prividence assistant (1995-1998)
- Manhattan assistant (1999-2001)
- New York Knicks assistant (2001-2005)
- Cleveland Cavaliers assistant (2005-2010)
- New Orleans Hornets assistant (2010-2011)
- Golden State Warriors (2011-2013)
- Sacramento Kings (2013-2014)
- Denver Nuggets (2015-2025)
Malone led the Kings to a 28-54 record in his lone full season at the helm. During his 10-year Nuggets tenure, he had a 471-327 record. Malone, in his NBA head coaching tenure, went 510-394 over 904 games and had a 44-36 postseason record.
This article will be updated.