Michael Malone became the head coach of the Denver Nuggets in 2015. Since then, the Nuggets have grown tremendously every single year, with Malone recently leading the organization to their first title in franchise history. This is why Denver has decided to keep its head coach for the foreseeable future.

On Monday, Malone and the team agreed to a contract extension that will make him one of the highest paid coaches in the NBA, first reported by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

In eight total seasons as the head coach of the Nuggets, Malone has posted a 367-270 record (57.6 win percentage) during the regular-season, not counting the 10 games Denver has played during the 2023-24 season. Over the last five seasons, the Nuggets have gone 37-31 in the postseason, recently winning the 2023 NBA Finals over the Miami Heat.

Going from a team not close to the playoff race to sitting at the top of the league following their first championship, Malone has reinvented the image surrounding the Nuggets. Not to mention, he's built unbreakable relationships with two-time MVP Nikola Jokic and star point guard Jamal Murray, the two leaders of the team.

Denver has been a home-grown team, forming the vast majority of their championship roster through the NBA Draft. When he first accepted the job, Malone was tasked with getting the Nuggets out of the draft lottery and into a position where they could contend for a playoff spot. He has exceeded expectations by a mile and now has the Nuggets in a position where they can contend for multiple championships over the next decade.

While teams tend to shuffle through coaches every few years, Malone is one of the longest tenured head coaches in the NBA next to Gregg Popovich (San Antonio Spurs), Steve Kerr (Golden State Warriors), and Erik Spoelstra (Miami Heat).

After agreeing to a new, long-term extension with Malone, the Nuggets have now secured their future. Their core of Jokic, Murray, Aaron Gordon, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Michael Porter Jr. are all under contact for at least two more seasons, keeping the door open for this team to compete for more titles.

As is the case with most championship head coaches that build a winning culture, the Nuggets now appear to be Malone's team until he is ready to call it quits in his coaching career.