What to Know about Mike Malone
247Sports • • sports
Key Points:
- North Carolina has hired longtime NBA coach Mike Malone as its new men's basketball coach; Malone has a personal connection to UNC through his daughter, Bridget Malone, a sophomore volleyball player at the university.
- Malone, born September 15, 1971, in Queens, NY, comes from a basketball coaching family; his father, Brendan Malone, had an extensive coaching career at the high school, college, and NBA levels.
- Malone’s coaching experience includes NBA assistant roles with several teams and head coaching stints with the Sacramento Kings and Denver Nuggets, where he won an NBA Championship in 2023 and made multiple deep playoff runs.
- Known for his defensive-minded teams, strong player development skills, and excellent relationship-building, Malone is expected to emphasize defense and player growth at UNC.
- Malone has received multiple coaching honors, including Western Conference Coach of the Month awards and high placements in NBA Coach of the Year voting; he spent the 2024-25 season as an ESPN analyst before taking the UNC job.
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