The Denver Nuggets announced Tuesday that they fired head coach Michael Malone and won’t be extending general manager Calvin Booth’s contract after the season.
Assistant coach David Adelman will take over the Nuggets’ bench on an interim basis.
“This decision (to relieve Malone) was not made lightly and was evaluated very carefully, and we do it only with the intention of giving our group the best chance at competing for the 2025 NBA championship and delivering another title to Denver and our fans everywhere,” Josh Kroenke, vice chairman of Kroenke Sports and Entertainment said in a statement.
Malone guided the Nuggets to their only championship title in 2023 and is the franchise’s winningest coach, collecting 471 victories since taking the helm in 2015.
“While the timing of this decision is unfortunate, as Coach Malone helped build the foundation of our now championship level program, it is a necessary step to allow us to compete at the highest level right now,” Kroenke added. “Championship-level standards and expectations remain in place for the current season, and as we look to the future, we look forward to building on the foundations laid by Coach Malone over his record-breaking 10-year career in Denver.”
