Michael Malone is ready to hit the airwaves now that there is no longer a potential conflict of interest in play.
The former Denver Nuggets head coach Malone is set to join ESPN, DNVR Sports reported on Monday. Malone will reportedly be contributing to ESPN’s coverage of the Western Conference Finals between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Oklahoma City Thunder this year.
Notably, the Nuggets were just eliminated from the playoffs with a Game 7 loss on Sunday in their second-round series against the Thunder. As such, Malone’s former team will not be a part of the Western Conference Finals, eliminating the possibility of any kind of biased commentary (either for or against the Nuggets).
Malone, 53, became the head coach of the Nuggets in 2015 and had a fruitful 10-year run. That included 471 wins, six playoff berths, three division titles, and an NBA championship in 2023.
But Denver stunningly decided to fire Malone near the end of the regular season last month. Reports claimed that Malone had long clashed with Nuggets GM Calvin Booth (who was also fired), and Malone’s roster decisions this year did not seem to help matters either.
Assistant coach David Adelman took over as interim head coach for Denver, leading them to a first-round playoff victory over the LA Clippers and then guiding them through a hard-fought seven-game series against the No. 1 seed Thunder. As for Malone, who reportedly was not at all pleased about his firing, he is now set to return to the public eye as a television analyst for ESPN.
