After nine seasons, one championship, and a culture-shifting run, the Denver Nuggets are parting ways with head coach Michael Malone.
The team officially announced Tuesday that Malone will not return next season, ending one of the most impactful coaching tenures in franchise history. The decision comes as the Nuggets stumble into the postseason, having lost four straight and falling short of expectations in the final weeks of the regular season.
Malone, 52, took over in Denver in 2015 and steadily turned the team into a perennial playoff contender. He guided the Nuggets to seven consecutive postseason appearances, most notably, their first-ever NBA championship in 2023. Along the way, he helped shape the team’s identity on both ends of the floor. He played a key role in the development of superstar center Nikola Jokić, a two-time MVP who’s become the face of the franchise and one of the league’s most dominant players.
“Coach Malone brought stability and success to this organization,” the team said in a statement. “His leadership helped transform the Nuggets into champions, and his impact on our players and culture will be felt for years to come.”
Assistant coach David Adelman will take over as interim head coach for the playoffs, inheriting a roster loaded with talent but in need of a spark. Whether that spark can come quickly enough remains to be seen.
Malone leaves Denver with a 424-324 regular-season record and a 37-31 playoff mark. Beyond the numbers, he’s widely credited with helping build a winning culture in Denver — something that had long eluded the franchise before his arrival.
The search for a permanent replacement is expected to begin this summer, but for now, the focus shifts to the postseason. The Nuggets remain a threat in the Western Conference, but they'll try to make noise under a new voice for the first time in nearly a decade.
