According to reports from ESPN and Inside Carolina, UNC intends to hire former NBA head coach Michael Malone, who led the Denver Nuggets to the 2023 NBA championship, to the same position in Chapel Hill.

ESPN’s Pete Thamel broke the news Monday afternoon shortly before 2 p.m., with Inside Carolina confirming similar reports minutes later. Once official, Malone will replace Hubert Davis, who was dismissed after five seasons on March 24. Malone, 54, last coached in 2025 with the Nuggets and was fired just a few games before his team played in the postseason amid a rift between himself and the Denver front office.

Malone has spent most of his coaching career in the NBA, though he did hold assistant coaching positions with Oakland University, Providence and Manhattan. After moving to the NBA, he served on the coaching staffs of the New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, New Orleans Hornets (later Pelicans) and Golden State Warriors.

In 2013, Malone was named head coach of the Sacramento Kings, but he lasted less than two seasons with the team. The Kings with 28-54 in the 2013-14 season and started 11-13 in 2014-15 before Malone was fired. The Denver Nuggets hired Malone prior to the 2015-16 season, and he helped build the team into a contender. Working with superstar Nikola Jokic, Malone led the Nuggets to the playoffs in 2018-19 after missing the field in the previous three seasons. The Nuggets went 53-29 and won their first ever NBA title in 2022-23. They would win 57 games the next year and were 47-32 in 2024-25 when Malone was fired. It was the latest firing of a head coach in NBA history.

In total, Malone has a 510-394 (.564) record across his NBA head coaching career.

Since leaving Denver, Malone has worked as a studio analyst for ESPN. His daughter, Bridget, plays for the UNC volleyball team, leading Malone to spend time in Chapel Hill over the past year. The Carolina Insider Podcast made Malone its featured interview in October 2025.

As of Monday at 4 p.m., UNC and its athletic department have not officially announced Malone’s hiring or introductory press conference.

Featured image via Associated Press/David Zalubowski

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