Heel Tough Blog: UNC Hires Former NBA Champion as Next Head Coach

Field of 68

In a move that not only shocked the UNC fan base, the college basketball world, and even the NBA world, the University of North Carolina has hired former NBA head coach Mike Malone as the next head coach of the program. Over the weekend, Carolina learned that neither Arizona’s Tommy Lloyd or Michigan’s Dusty May were leaving their respective spots to take the vacant job in Chapel Hill. The belief was that Carolina had turned their attention to Billy Donovan of the Chicago Bulls as their next top target. According to the Donovan camp, he wouldn’t wait to entertain the opening until after the Bulls' season came to an end on Sunday, but with the transfer portal set to open at midnight, it appears UNC wasn’t willing to wait to find out if Donovan was interested. 

Mike Malone hasn’t coached in college basketball in over 20 years and was fired as the head coach of the Denver Nuggets back in 2025, after leading Denver to the NBA title in 2023. Prior to leading the Nuggets, Malone also served as the head coach of the Sacramento Kings for two seasons. Across his 12 seasons in the NBA, Malone won 510 games, with a winning percentage of 56%. He coached in 80 playoff games, going 44-36. 

When UNC made the decision to fire Hubert Davis almost two weeks ago, it signaled that Carolina was set to hire someone outside of the Carolina Family, and while that is true, Malone does have ties to Chapel Hill. Malone’s daughter is a volleyball player at North Carolina, and Malone has spent time on campus since being fired by the Nuggets, while juggling TV responsibilities and working for ESPN. 

Outside of his time in the NBA, Malone’s college basketball coaching career includes stops at Oaklong (1994-95), Providence (1995-98), and Manhattan (1999-2001), where he served as an assistant, but not as the head coach.