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Apr 6, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone during the third quarter against the Indiana Pacers at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Nuggets' Michael Malone Joins Nick Nurse in Concerning NBA Trend

Originally posted on Philadelphia 76ers on SI
By Justin Grasso | Last updated Apr 8, 2025 4:15 PM ET

Just as the dust was settling in Memphis following the surprising firing of Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins, the Denver Nuggets sent another shockwave across the NBA by parting ways with Michael Malone.

Malone suddenly joins Philadelphia 76ers head coach Nick Nurse in a group of coaches who’ve been fired not long after leading an organization to an NBA Finals victory.

At this point, four of the last six coaches to win an NBA Championship have been fired from the organization they won with. Malone becomes the latest, as Mike Budenholzer and Nurse were the last two, as they were let go after the 2022-2023 NBA season.

via @ESPN: With Michael Malone being fired from Denver, FOUR of the last six NBA coaches to win the Finals are no longer with the team they won with

With Michael Malone being fired from Denver, FOUR of the last six NBA coaches to win the Finals are no longer with the team they won with pic.twitter.com/fp4f7V47gp
— ESPN (@espn) April 8, 2025

Vogel was the first of the group to part ways with his team as the Los Angeles Lakers moved on from him in 2022. After winning the title in his first season as the head coach of the Lakers, Vogel would last two more seasons before getting cut loose.

In 2023, the Milwaukee Bucks fired Mike Budenholzer in favor of Nurse’s former assistant, Adrian Griffin. The Bucks oddly moved on from Griffin early on, and made a call to former Sixers head coach, Doc Rivers, to take over for the remainder of the 2023-2024 season and beyond.

Nurse and the Toronto Raptors parted ways in 2023. The Sixers hired Nurse with hopes that he could bring some of that 2019 Raptors success to the organization. Unfortunately, for Nurse and the other coaches on this list, excluding Malone, none of them have found the same success just yet.

Vogel landed a job with the Phoenix Suns last season. They achieved a 49-33 record and lost in the first round of the playoffs, getting swept. Shortly after, Vogel was fired. Budenholzer took some time off, but ended up replacing Vogel in Phoenix this year. He could be on the hot seat, as the Suns are in danger of missing the Play-In Tournament.

As for Nurse, he’s wrapping up year two with the Sixers. Last season, Philly made the playoffs as the seventh seed after winning their only Play-In game. They lost to the New York Knicks in six games in round one. This year, the Sixers will miss the postseason altogether.

Currently on a 12-game losing streak, the Sixers could potentially keep their top-six pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. While that’s a nice consolation prize for the team after a disappointing season, there are many question marks for the Sixers heading into the offseason.