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.
Malone, who is 54 years of age, has a daughter who plays volleyball at Carolina. Bridget Malone is a sophomore with the Tar Heels.
So, what is there to know about Mike Malone? Here is a snapshot:
Age: 55 years old when next season starts
Born: September 15, 1971, in Queens, NY
His Father: Brendan Malone had a long and distinguished career in coaching basketball. Among his jobs were head coach at famed Power Memorial H.S. in New York City; four colleges as an assistant, including Syracuse under Jim Boeheim from 1978-1984; he was head coach for two seasons at Rhode Island from 1986-88; 25 years as an NBA assistant for multiple organizations; Twice a head coach with the Toronto Raptors and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
As a Player: Loyola (MD) 1989-93; shooting guard averaged 3.5 points per game in his career seeing action in 108 contests and playing 1,331 minutes.
As a College Coach: Assistant at Oakland (1994-95); assistant at Providence (1995-98); assistant at Manhattan (1999-2001).
As an NBA Coach: Assistant coach with the New York Knicks (2001-05); Cleveland Cavaliers (2005-10); New Orleans Hornets (2010-11); and Golden State Warriors (2011-13); head coach Sacramento Kings (2013-14); Denver Nuggets (2015-2025).
NBA Coaching Record: One-plus seasons in Sacramento 39-67; ten seasons in Denver 4471-327; one NBA Championship in 2023; twice in the conference finals; five times in the conference semifinals; three times in 1st place; three times in second place; fired late in the 2024-25 season with a 47-32 record.
Tidbits: Considered an excellent relationship coach; his teams in the NBA were always defensive-minded, so that will be a key ingredient with the Tar Heels; he challenges players, is known for his ability to get the most out of them; is regarded as a developer, so an emphasis might be developing pro-potential players for the next level; he ahs been described as “old school” and “sometimes stubborn,” spent this past season as an analyst at ESPN.
Honors: Western Conference Coach of the Month in April 2021; January 2023; NBA Coach of the Year voting No. 3 in 2019, No. 8 in 202, No. 7 in 2021, No. 5 in 2023, and No. 9 in 2024.
UNC Connection: Malone’s daughter, Bridget Malone, is a volleyball player at Carolina.