UNC Taps NBA Champion Mike Malone as New Basketball Coach

North Carolina named NBA champion Mike Malone as its new men's basketball coach.

“North Carolina has gone outside its coaching family by hiring longtime NBA Coach Mike Malone as its new men's basketball coach, though he does have a connection to UNC”

247Sports

Malone replaces Hubert Davis and has no college head coaching experience.

ABC11 Raleigh-Durham

The hire is seen as a bold gamble to restore the program's elite status.

Malone led the Denver Nuggets to their only NBA title in franchise history.

He will need to staff a college coaching team from scratch.

UNC’s move toward a professional coach with no college head experience is unprecedented.

Malone last coached in college at Manhattan in 2001.

CBS Sports

Top college targets publicly committed elsewhere, forcing a pivot.

Malone's daughter plays volleyball at UNC, providing a personal tie.

Malone inherits a Tar Heels team in flux with less than 24 hours before the transfer portal.

“North Carolina to hire Michael Malone as next basketball coach: Led Nuggets to NBA title in 2022-23 The Tar Heels have landed an unexpected hire as their next coach UNC is expected to hire former Denver Nuggets coach and 2023 NBA champion Michael Malone as its next leader of the basketball program, sources confirmed to CBS Sports' Matt Norlander”

CBS Sports

UNC was 24-9 under Davis, who led them to a Final Four in 2024.

The program has won just three March Madness games in four seasons.

Malone’s NBA ties could help navigate recruiting in a transformed landscape.