North Carolina men's basketball to hire Michael Malone as next head coach, per reports
NBC News • • general
Key Points:
- The North Carolina Tar Heels have hired former NBA coach Michael Malone as their new head basketball coach, following the firing of Hubert Davis in March.
- Malone, who won an NBA championship with the Denver Nuggets in 2023, was fired 79 games into the 2024-25 NBA season and has since worked as an ESPN analyst.
- Malone has previous college coaching experience as an assistant from 1999 to 2001 and a strong NBA coaching record, including developing Nikola Jokić into a three-time MVP.
- The Tar Heels have a storied basketball history with multiple national championships, and expectations are high for Malone to restore the program’s success after recent early NCAA Tournament exits.
- Malone becomes the fourth UNC coach since 2000 and is the second high-profile professional coach hired by the school’s athletic department, following NFL coach Bill Belichick leading the football program.
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