The Denver Nuggets made the abrupt news this week with the firing of head coach Michael Malone.
The ex-Nuggets head coach was the winningest in franchise history in his 10-season stint with the Nuggets.
Malone helped lead the Denver Nuggets to their first NBA Championship in the team's history in 2023 and was sent out of the Mile High City along with general manager Calvin Booth.
A move that had taken place just a week before the start of the NBA Playoffs, it was something that stirred the NBA world for a loop.
Believe it or not, Malone's exit wasn't the only late-season firing. Taylor Jenkins of the Memphis Grizzlies was also fired just weeks before, on March 28.
Senior NBA writer Brian Windhorst shared that, “It got out pretty quickly in the NBA that Michael Malone’s reaction to being fired was not calm, which is not a surprise. I don’t blame him.”
Malone is the only head coach that three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic has played under. The most successful Denver Nuggets coach and player came to the Nuggets organization in the same season: 2015.
In his time in Denver, Malone had a record of 471-327 with the team and led them to eight consecutive winning seasons.
Denver is 2-0 since the firing of their coach and general manager, beating the Sacramento Kings and Memphis Grizzlies in the two games.
Interim head coach David Adelman will be taking over the coaching duties for the rest of the season for the Nuggets.
Adelman has served under Malone since the 2017-2018 season and was a part of the team when they won the Larry O'Brien trophy in 2023.
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