{"id":703497,"date":"2026-04-07T15:07:13","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T15:07:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/703497\/"},"modified":"2026-04-07T15:07:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T15:07:13","slug":"kenny-smith-loves-north-carolinas-hire-of-nba-champion-michael-malone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/703497\/","title":{"rendered":"Kenny Smith loves North Carolina\u2019s hire of NBA champion Michael Malone"},"content":{"rendered":"

North Carolina\u2019s decision to hire former NBA champion head coach Michael Malone<\/a> drew heavy praise from one of its former stars.<\/p>\n

TNT Sports and ESPN NBA analyst Kenny Smith, an All-American guard for the Tar Heels, said he loves the hire and laid out several reasons why \u2014 including the fact that Malone will coach Smith\u2019s son, Malloy<\/a>, who joins the Tar Heels next season.<\/p>\n

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Here\u2019s what he had to say on the pregame show before the national championship game:<\/p>\n

\u201cMichael Malone, with all the indications saying that he is, will be and has signed a deal, would be 100 percent favorable for the Tar Heels.<\/p>\n

Hubert Davis got us to a point, and shoutout to Hubert for what he\u2019s done. But the contribution Mike Malone could make here as a Tar Heel, there\u2019s a lot to it, Ernie.<\/p>\n

There are four points I\u2019d make. One, I didn\u2019t like the idea that we\u2019d have to poach someone from somewhere else. I\u2019ve said that. I didn\u2019t feel like, \u2018Oh, go get this coach from somewhere else.\u2019<\/p>\n

Two, Mike Malone\u2019s daughter is a volleyball player at the University of North Carolina. When we were doing ESPN together in L.A. this year, he was walking around with a Tar Heels shirt on, and I didn\u2019t understand it at first. He\u2019s a member of the Tar Heels band. He\u2019s been drafted in by his daughter playing volleyball.<\/p>\n

Third, I just think he\u2019s a winner. Right away, he has a r\u00e9sum\u00e9 no one else in college basketball has. He\u2019s an NBA champion. And remember, he had the Joker, who is the No. 1 player in basketball but was drafted 41st. He helped develop Joker into the Joker. Now, Joker did it himself too, but Malone helped develop him \u2014 and development is what\u2019s big in college basketball.<\/p>\n

So I\u2019m excited for the Tar Heels. My son\u2019s going to be there. We\u2019re not going anywhere. We\u2019re trying to be back where we\u2019re accustomed to being as Tar Heels.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smith has every reason to be happy, as he is not only a great player developer and tactician, but he wins.<\/p>\n

Malone, 54, spent 12 seasons as an NBA head coach with the Sacramento Kings and Nuggets, compiling a 510-394 record. He led Denver for 10 seasons, going 471-327 and delivering the franchise\u2019s first NBA championship in 2023. He is also the all-time winningest coach in Nuggets history.<\/p>\n

Malone is the first North Carolina coach without prior playing or coaching experience at the school<\/a> since Frank McGuire in 1952.<\/p>\n

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Follow us @TarHeelsWire<\/a> on X and like our page on Facebook<\/a> to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC Basketball: Michael Malone hire heaps praise from Kenny Smith<\/a><\/p>\n