The Malone Years: A decade-long timeline of Michael Malone’s tenure in Denver

After a decade in Denver, the Nuggets stunningly fired head coach Michael Malone Tuesday, bringing an unceremonious end to the tenure of the most decorated coach in franchise history.

Malone had steered the Nuggets through the days of Emmanuel Mudiay and Will Barton, overseen the development of franchise stars Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, and taken Denver to the mountaintop with the organization’s first title run in 2022-23. Here’s a timeline of his career with the Nuggets.

Dec. 15, 2014: Sacramento Kings fire Malone

Malone’s first head-coaching gig in Sacramento came to an abrupt end, fired just 24 games into 2014-15, his second year with the franchise. It was never easy going through coaching change as a family, Malone reflected, a decade later. “But,” Malone said before a Nuggets win over the Jazz in late March, “it was the best thing that ever happened to me.”

June 15, 2015: Nuggets hire Malone

It took all of a few months for Malone to earn a second chance on an NBA sideline, the Nuggets inking him after two interviews. Then-general manager Tim Connelly said in a statement that Malone “knows the game as well as anybody.” The move received mixed reviews, including from former Denver Post columnist Woody Paige.

Dec. 15, 2016: Malone cements Jokic as starting center

The Nuggets tried and failed to play Jokic and Jusuf Nurkic together in the starting lineup, then briefly turned to Nurkic as their starting center. On this night, though, Malone started Jokic over Nurkic, the Nuggets beat the Trail Blazers 132-120, and nothing was ever the same.

April 27, 2019: Malone wins first playoff series

After improving from 40-42 to 46-36 in Malone’s third year but missing the playoffs, the Nuggets roared to the second seed in the Western Conference in 2018-19 and knocked off the veteran San Antonio Spurs in seven games. “We never lost our composure,” Malone said after a thrilling 90-86 win in which point guard Jamal Murray hit one of the first of a career of clutch shots.

July 7, 2020: Nuggets name Calvin Booth GM

A former assistant to ex-GM Arturas Karnisovas, the Nuggets officially tabbed Booth in the summer of 2020 after advancing to the Western Conference Finals, the move that’d both take Denver to the mountaintop and eventually crumble Malone’s tenure.

May 22, 2023: Nuggets earn franchise’s first sweep

After a lost 2021-22 marred by a season-ending injury to Murray, a juggernaut Nuggets team smoked the L.A. Lakers in four games in the Western Conference finals, leading Malone to stoke a rivalry with comments on the Lakers’ national media attention a few days later: “They’ve gone fishing. We’re still playing.”

June 13, 2023: Nuggets clinch first NBA title

In a defining moment in Denver sports history, the Nuggets downed the Miami Heat in five games, Malone’s eight-year tenure coming to fruition in Ball Arena. “We’re not satisfied with one,” Malone told the crowd, postgame, at center court.

June 15, 2023: Malone steals the show at Nuggets’ parade

Shoulder-shimmies. Iced-out necklace. Shades. On top of the world.

Nov. 14, 2023: Nuggets ink Malone to multi-year extension

A year after the Nuggets’ NBA Finals run, Denver rewarded Malone handsomely with an extension that would’ve taken him through the 2026-27 season, a year after he’d already earned a previous multiyear extension.

May 19, 2024: Nuggets blow 20-point lead in season-ending loss

In one of the most painful moments of Malone’s tenure, Denver fell to Minnesota in Game 7, ending any attempt at a championship encore. Whispers started to bubble that Malone and Booth weren’t on the same page.

Nov. 23, 2024: Malone becomes winningest coach in Nuggets history

Malone clinched his 433rd victory, in 56 fewer games than previous wins leader Doug Moe, with a 127-102 win over the Lakers. This was this season, by the way.

March 21, 2024: Malone rips into Nuggets’ locker room

Amid a slide into mediocrity after the All-Star break, Malone ripped into the Nuggets both privately and publicly following a March loss to Portland. “Nobody watches film,” he said then. “So we’ll have to show them the film.”

April 8, 2025: Nuggets fire Malone

Malone finished his career in Denver with a record of 471-324, one NBA title, and the greatest extended iteration of the Nuggets franchise the NBA has seen to date.

Want more Nuggets news? Sign up for the Nuggets Insider to get all our NBA analysis.