Former NBA champion coach Michael Malone did not land a coaching job in the league during the offseason, so he will be trying something new for the 2025-26 campaign.
Malone is joining ESPN for the upcoming NBA season. The news was confirmed by ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro on Tuesday during an appearance at Front Office Sports’ Tuned In Summit, via Ben Axelrod of Awful Announcing.
Malone’s exact role with ESPN is yet to be revealed, but he will be joining “NBA Countdown” in some capacity. It is possible he will fill the role formerly occupied by Tim Legler, who is getting a new job of his own.
Even though he is only three years removed from leading the Denver Nuggets to an NBA title, Malone did not find a coaching job he liked for this season. He did some work for ESPN during the playoffs last season and even stirred up some minor controversy with one of his comments. That candor should serve him well in his new role.
Presumably, Malone will return to coaching at some point. He is only 54 years old and has a championship resume. A contender that gets off to a slow start could look his way once the season gets underway, but until then, he’ll be on television.
