North Carolina is working toward finalizing a deal with NBA championship-winning coach Michael Malone to lead the Tar Heels’ basketball program, a person with knowledge of the situation said Monday.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the school hasn’t publicly discussed its search. Malone would replace Hubert Davis, after five seasons
ESPN was the first to report UNC moving toward hiring Malone.
The 54-year-old Malone spent 12 seasons as a head coach in the NBA, including a 10-year run in Denver. He led the Nuggets to behind three-time league MVP Nikola Jokic.
The Nuggets with Almost a year to the day, in another surprise move, Malone is on the verge of taking over a blue-blood program with six national titles, a record 21 appearances in the Final Four and alums including Michael Jordan, James Worthy Vince Carter and Atlantic Coast Conference career scoring leader Tyler Hansbrough.
UNC now has big-name former pro coaches leading its two highest-profile programs. The Tar Heels hired six-time Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick as their football coach in December 2024. Belichick struggled to a 4-8 record in his debut season.
Davis鈥� firing opened one of the top jobs in college basketball for only the fourth time since the late Hall of Famer Dean Smith鈥檚 retirement after 36 seasons in October 1997.
The job had stayed in the 鈥淐arolina Family鈥� ever since. Longtime assistant Bill Guthridge replaced Smith, followed by former UNC player Matt Doherty, former Smith assistant Williams and then Davis, who played under Smith and worked on
Names like Arizona鈥檚 Tommy Lloyd, Michigan鈥檚 Dusty May and Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan 鈥� who led Florida to the 2006 and 2007 NCAA titles 鈥� had been linked to the job since Davis鈥� firing. Lloyd announced Friday at the Final Four while praising UNC for 鈥渢he way they鈥檝e handled this.鈥�
Three days later, the search had turned in an unexpected direction with Malone, who has never been a college head coach and has spent most of his career in the NBA. His primary connection to UNC athletics is the presence of daughter Bridget on the Tar Heels鈥� volleyball team.
During an October appearance on the Malone recalled hearing his late father, NBA coach Brendan Malone, talk often about Smith and UNC basketball. He also mentioned attending multiple recent practices and Davis asking him to speak to the team at least once.
鈥淚鈥檝e always been a Carolina fan,鈥� Malone said. 鈥淎nd when (Bridget) decided to come here that made it even that much more special, because now I鈥檓 鈥楪o Heels鈥� for everything. I root for all the teams, have fallen in love with Chapel Hill.鈥�
Malone’s time in the NBA included a brief stint in Sacramento, where , just 24 games into his second season. He also worked as an assistant with the New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, New Orleans Hornets and Golden State Warriors.
Malone had stints in college as an assistant at Oakland, Providence and Manhattan. He spent only one season in the Atlantic Coast Conference, working as director of men’s basketball administration at Virginia under Pete Gillen in 1998-99.
David Adelman, Malone’s successor in Denver, said he was happy for his friend, adding that Malone would be comfortable with players earning big money through name, image and likeness deals.
鈥淚t鈥檚 more of a professional environment now, especially at schools like that, where you have to look at it like these guys are under contract now,鈥� Adelman said. 鈥淎nd I think a lot of NBA coaches understand what it means to coach somebody that鈥檚 making money.鈥�
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AP freelancer Michael Kelly in Denver contributed to this report.
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