The sports world is full of shock and confusion as NBA insider Shams Charania announced that the Denver Nuggets have fired head coach Michael Malone. Malone, who has coached the Nuggets for the past 10 seasons, brought the team to prominence alongside the rise of superstar Nikola Jokić.
The Nuggets also released their general manager, Calvin Booth, making this an unprecedented day in the NBA. Denver is currently 47–32, sitting fourth in the Western Conference. While the season has been tremendous for Jokić and the Nuggets in some ways, they’ve had their fair share of struggles.
Denver went from having a firm grip on the third seed in the West to watching it slip away after a four-game losing streak. Still, despite that skid, firing both Malone and Booth came as a shock, especially with just three games left in the regular season.
Fans React to Denver Nuggets Head Coach Mike Malone’s Firing
The decision to let go of Malone is confusing, especially because it felt like he and Jokić shared a bond that wouldn’t be broken. Malone has been Jokić’s only coach in the NBA and helped him grow into the three-time MVP he is today.
Malone is also the winningest coach in Nuggets franchise history, showing how much he contributed to the team’s success.
We don’t yet know what Jokić thinks about the move, but firing both a coach and GM this late in the season likely isn’t good for team chemistry. Fans quickly took to social media to share their reactions, with many pointing to the timing as the biggest surprise.
What’s going on in Denver!!!!
— WarriorsMuse (@WarriorsMuse) April 8, 2025
wtf
— JD (@JDGoldboys) April 8, 2025
😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/MKcxVnSbNJ
— ۟ (@outthewaytre) April 8, 2025
The NBA and WNBA statistics account, StatMamba, weighed in on the baffling mood. “Nuggets are 1.5 games back from the 3 seed in the West…what is happening????” the account posted.
Another fan posted an image of Phoenix Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer, with the caption, “Bud watching Taylor Jenkins and Mike Malone getting fired…”
There’s a lot of confusion surrounding the decision as more details are still emerging. Booth and Malone were both key pieces of the Nuggets’ front office and coaching staff. Despite being central to the team’s rise, it seems tension had built between them.
Absolutely nuts. Booth and Malone never liked each other, rarely spoke, and talked behind each other's backs. With the team struggling on the court, Nuggets ownership decided to fire both. Insane. https://t.co/BUVS7grQWq
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) April 8, 2025
The internal rift may help explain why the Nuggets haven’t looked like the 2023 championship team over the past two seasons. Still, firing both at the same time, just before the playoffs, raises eyebrows.
The timing doesn’t bode well for Denver moving forward. Malone’s dismissal also ties for the latest head coach firing in NBA history, matching Hubie Brown’s firing during the 1980–81 season.
What’s Next for the Nuggets?
Three games remain in the regular season. Denver has a chance to finish as high as the No. 3 seed or as low as the eighth.
The Nuggets now move forward without a general manager and their longtime head coach. Entering the playoffs under a new coach amid a major change adds uncertainty — no matter how well Jokić plays.
Can the Nuggets rally and make another title run? Or will this shake-up derail their postseason hopes?