With just three games left in the 2024-25 season, the Denver Nuggets have fired their head coach and general manager, the team announced Tuesday.
Head coach Michael Malone and GM Calvin Booth were both considered instrumental in Denver hoisting its first Larry O’Brien Trophy in 2023.
Malone is the franchise’s all-time coaching wins leader with 471 in 10 seasons at the helm, taking over as head coach in Nikola Jokic’s rookie season. David Adelman, an assistant coach with the team since 2017, will assume head coaching duties for the remainder of the season.
"This decision was not made lightly and was evaluated very carefully, and we do it only with the intention of giving our group the best chance at competing for the 2025 NBA Championship and delivering another title to Denver and our fans everywhere," read a statement from the team. "While the timing of this decision is unfortunate, as Coach Malone helped build the foundation of our now championship level program, it is a necessary step to allow us to compete at the highest level right now. Championship level standards and expectations remain in place for the current season, and as we look to the future, we look forward to building on the foundations laid by Coach Malone over his record-breaking 10-year career in Denver."
Booth, a former journeyman NBA player, has been with the organization since 2017. He started with the team as an assistant general manager and was promoted to general manager in 2020.
"I want to thank Calvin Booth for leading our front office for the past three years and most importantly for helping put the final pieces in place for the roster that delivered Denver and our fans their first NBA Championship," the Nuggets' statement read. "Calvin’s knowledge of the game, his passion for scouting, and his long history as a player and executive in the NBA helped lift our organization to new heights which we will continue moving forward. We are grateful to Calvin for his eight years with the Nuggets and know his place in Nuggets history as our first championship winning GM will be honored for years to come."
The Nuggets held the No. 4 seed in a stacked Western Conference when the news came down late Tuesday morning, but were limping toward the postseason. They were just 3-7 in their last 10 games.
- After the team's first NBA title in 2023, Denver7 sports reporter Nick Rothschild published a commentary that dubbed Malone the most underrated coach in Denver sports history. Watch and read that piece below and here.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
This story was originally published by Landon Haaf with Scripps News Group.
