In a move out of left field, former Denver Nuggets and NBA-champion head coach Michael Malone has been hired by the North Carolina Tar Heels.
Malone, 54-years-old, had been working for ESPN ever since he was fired from the Nuggets' head coaching position immediately before the playoffs started last year.
The fiery coach served as Denver's head coach from 2015 to 2025 and compiled a record of 471-327, making him the franchise's all-time winningest coach, surpassing Doug Moe. Interestingly, the three best coaches in Nuggets history (Malone, Moe, and George Karl), all now have direct North Carolina connections.
Malone's greatest accomplishment was leading the Nuggets to a 16-4 playoff record in 2023 which culminated in their first and only championship in franchise history. Under Malone's watch, Denver improved from a 33-win team in 2015-16 to a team that perennially won 50+ games each year.
Disagreements between Malone and former GM Calvin Booth led to each of their demises in Denver, but now Malone can run his own show and determine the players he would like on the team without a GM necessarily deciding the roster for him.
Why was Michael Malone Hired by North Carolina?
The Tar Heels had been connected to proven college basketball minds such as Tommy Lloyd (Arizona), Dusty May (Michigan), Ben McCollum (Iowa), and Billy Donovan (former Florida head coach), but they decided to take the NBA route, hiring Malone who has no head coaching experience at the collegiate level.
Lloyd signed an extension with Arizona, McCollum turned down an interview, and May and Donovan are still currently coaching their teams. This opened up the door for Malone - a proven NBA coach who was hungry to get back on the sidelines.
The move does make sense, though. Malone helped develop Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., and more through their early 20s, proving that he can connect and bond with young adults - the types of players he'll be coaching at North Carolina. Several of Denver's young players throughout the years have raved about Malone's ability to connect with them.
Obviously, college basketball is becoming more and more professional, as there's been an influx of former European pros entering the college hoops scene, along with several older-aged transfers.
Dusty May's recent success at Michigan - led by 23-year-old Yaxel Lendeborg, has been attributed to his NBA-level schemes and team-building philosophy. Perhaps the Tar Heels are thinking the same with the hiring of Malone.
Malone also did an excellent job at carving out a role for each player on his Nuggets' teams. With Jokic as the offensive hub, shooters, defenders, and Murray were always clear on what needed to be done to make them gel as a team.
Ever since Roy Williams retired from coaching the Heels prior to the 2021-22 season, things had gotten volatile under Hubert Davis.
Davis led the Heels to a magical semifinal appearance in his first year as the No. 8 seed, but managed to miss the tournament altogether in 2022-23 despite retaining most of the same players.
He then led North Carolina to a Round of 16 appearance the next year, but he's failed to keep that momentum up ever since - losing in the Round of 32 in 2025 and in the Round of 64 in 2026 - simply not good enough for a program as storied as Carolina's.
Davis leaves Malone with two talented 2026 recruits, if they choose to stay. Five-star and nationally No. 8 ranked player by 247sports.com, guard Dylan Mingo, and four-star forward Maximo Adams.
North Carolina is hoping for some more stability from the longtime NBA coach. The entire Malone family will uproot to Chapel Hill, as both of his daughters attend the school as well.
