Overview
- Multiple outlets reported Monday that UNC intends to hire former Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone, with ESPN first and CBS Sports and WRAL confirming.
- Malone, 54, led Denver to the 2023 NBA title, has 510 NBA head-coaching wins and has a campus tie through his daughter, a UNC volleyball player.
- North Carolina turned to Malone after Arizona’s Tommy Lloyd signed an extension and Michigan’s Dusty May chose to stay, while interest in Bulls coach Billy Donovan faced a wait until the NBA regular season ends April 12.
- Malone would be UNC’s first men’s coach without direct program ties since 1952, marking a sharp break from the school’s tradition of hiring insiders.
- With the NCAA transfer portal opening Tuesday, Malone will need a college-savvy staff to recruit, manage name, image and likeness (NIL) payments and steady the roster, which could shape who stays and which transfers UNC can land.