Nikola Jokić may not be familiar with NCAA basketball. However, that didn’t stop the Denver Nuggets superstar from weighing in on North Carolina’s stunning decision to hire his former coach, Michael Malone.
After Monday’s grueling 137-132 overtime home win over the Portland Trail Blazers, the three-time MVP threw his full support behind the Tar Heels’ gamble.
Nikola Jokić Predicts Michael Malone Will Succeed at North Carolina
Jokić experienced immense success under Malone’s guidance, enjoying six playoff runs together and leading Denver to its first-ever NBA title in 2023.
Despite his proven track record, Malone was fired last April amid the Nuggets’ late-season slide and replaced by his assistant coach, David Adelman. Reports indicated that Malone and the team had a “strained relationship” with his “explosive coaching style” and tight rotations wearing on players.
The 12-year head coaching veteran followed up his Denver stint by spending the last 10-plus months as an ESPN analyst, seemingly holding a grudge over being let go. While many expected the 54-year-old to eventually land another NBA coaching gig, news broke Monday that he is instead making an unexpected transition to the NCAA.
Malone joins one of college basketball’s most storied schools after North Carolina pivoted away from traditional collegiate coaching targets in its search for a replacement for Hubert Davis. Davis was dismissed in late March following the Tar Heels’ disappointing loss to VCU in the first round of this year’s NCAA tournament.
Though Jokić skipped the American college system, he foresees his ex-coach’s expertise translating with ease.
“I’m happy for him. Probably a little bit different. Was he ever a coach in college? No?” Jokić asked reporters Monday before quipping that Malone’s college assistant coaching experience “doesn’t matter.”
“I’m happy for the coach. I wish him all the luck. I think it’s a little bit different because he was coaching NBA for how many years? 12, 15 years? But he definitely has the poise and the brain to do it, and I think he’s going to do a really good job because I think he can actually coach the guys. I think he’s gonna have time to coach the guys and teach them how to play the game the right way.”
“I think he’s going to do a really good job because he can 𝑨𝑪𝑻𝑼𝑨𝑳𝑳𝒀 coach the guys and teach them how to play the game the right way.”
“I’m happy for him.”
Nikola Jokic on Michael Malone taking the North Carolina job 🃏🎙️ pic.twitter.com/3NSdkjCj3c
— DNVR Nuggets (@DNVR_Nuggets) April 7, 2026
While Malone will have to adjust to the demands of college basketball’s NIL era, including rigorous recruitment and frequent roster turnover, he appears up for the challenge. The veteran tactician has expressed a desire to get back into coaching on numerous occasions, sharing earlier this season that he misses “being part of that team camaraderie” and “locker room atmosphere.”
Malone has been out of the collegiate ranks since making the jump to the NBA as an assistant coach in 2001. However, with a standout 510-394 NBA head coaching record, he brings plenty of experience to the table.
