As rumors have surrounded the North Carolina basketball program and who the team will pick to be the next head coach, it looks as if they have found the man to do it. With names like Dusty May being linked to the North Carolina basketball opening, the selection is coming recently from the NBA in the form of Michael Malone.
According to Pete Thamel of ESPN, the Tar Heels are focused on hiring Malone as the next head coach, who last came from the Denver Nuggets, winning a championship with them in 2023, now heading to the collegiate level.
“Sources: North Carolina intends to hire longtime NBA coach Michael Malone as the school’s next basketball coach,” Thamel wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “He’s an NBA Championship coach with the Denver Nuggets from the 2022-23 season and has won 510 games as an NBA head coach.”
Michael Malone for the North Carolina basketball gig is surprising
This could be seen as an immensely surprising decision by the North Carolina basketball team, as Malone was a name that hadn't been mentioned in recent reports. The one NBA coach that was mentioned for the role and was reportedly the school's ‘sole focus' was that of the Chicago Bulls' Billy Donovan, who has had a lot of college basketball experience with the University of Florida.
However, other top college basketball coaches such as the aforementioned May of Michigan and even Arizona Wildcats' Tommy Lloyd were both seen as candidates the school would inquire about. Looking at the latter, ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel even reported last Thursday that Lloyd was their “top choice.”
However, May has since told the Wolverines that he will not pursue other opportunities, and Lloyd has signed a contract extension with Arizona. Malone has had major success at the NBA level with Denver and has other head coaching experience, but never at the college level.
