Brendan Malone was a two-time champion as an assistant coach in the NBA and the father to recent NBA champion head coach Michael Malone of the Denver Nuggets. On Tuesday, the team announced that Brendan had passed away at the age of 81.

“It is with tremendous sadness that we share the passing of longtime NBA coach Brendan Malone, who holds a special place amongst the organization and will be a Denver Nugget forever,” the team said in a release on social media. “Coach Brendan Malone was a great man who left behind a great legacy in the world of basketball, but he will be remembered even more for the amazing husband, father, son and grandfather that he was and the profound impact he had on the friends, family and colleagues who were lucky enough to know him.

“Our thoughts and are with the entire Malone family and all of Brendan's loved ones who are feeling this loss today.”

Beginning his NBA coaching career in 1986 with the New York Knicks, Malone went on to serve as an assistant for the Indiana Pacers, Detroit Pistons, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Orlando Magic. He was the head coach of the Raptors during the 1995-96 season, as well as the head coach of the Cavs in 2005. Brendan was an assistant with Detroit during their championship runs in 1989 and 1990.

Perhaps his most notable moment as an assistant in the NBA came with Detroit, as he helped produce the infamous “Jordan Rules,” which the Pistons used against Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in the playoffs.

This past July, the NBA honored Malone with the 2023 Tex Winter Assistant Coach Lifetime Impact Award for his accomplishments on the sideline for just about three decades.

A terrific basketball mind who inspired his son to follow in his footsteps, Malone's loss is definitely sad news for the entire NBA community.