DENVER NUGGETS AND HEAD COACH MICHAEL MALONE AGREE TO CONTRACT EXTENSION
DENVER, Mar. 23, 2022 – The Denver Nuggets and Head Coach Michael Malone have agreed to a multiyear contract extension, Governor E. Stanley Kroenke, Vice Chairman Josh Kroenke and President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly announced today. Per team policy the details of the extension were not released.
Head Coach Michael Malone is in his seventh season with Denver after being hired in June of 2015. He is currently the fifth longest tenured coach in the NBA and his 309 wins as Nuggets head coach rank third in franchise history. The Nuggets have seen the postseason in each of the last three seasons including a Western Conference Finals appearance in 2020, the first for the franchise since 2009. The Nuggets owned the best record in the Western Conference from the start of the 2018-19 season through 2020-21 and trail only the Milwaukee Bucks for the most combined regular season and postseason wins over the last three-plus seasons (210). Malone has totaled 20 postseason victories, good for fourth all-time in franchise history and is only four wins behind Doug Moe (24) for first all-time.
“This extension is well deserved for Coach Malone and one we are very excited to announce,” stated Nuggets Governor E. Stanley Kroenke. “You can easily point to the on-court success that Michael has brought and the improvements the team has made each year under his watch, and you can also point to the selfless, hard-working culture that has developed and grown during his tenure. We look forward to Coach Malone continuing on the sidelines as we all work toward our goal of bringing an NBA Championship to the city of Denver.”
Last season saw Coach Malone lead the Nuggets to a 47-25 record in a 72-game shortened season as they clinched a playoff berth for the third straight year. Denver finished the season tying a franchise record with 22 road wins, securing the third seed in the Western Conference and became the only team in the NBA to have home-court advantage in the playoffs in each of the last three seasons.
In the playoffs, despite missing Jamal Murray due to injury, Malone helped lead the Nuggets to a 4-2 first round series victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. It was a historic series win for Denver as they won a playoff series in three straight seasons for the first time in franchise history. It marked the fourth playoff series win in the last three seasons, after winning a total of four in the last 32 years. It was also the first time in Nuggets history they clinched a best of seven series on the road (excluding the bubble).
Through 546 games as Denver’s head coach, Malone has compiled a record of 309-237 (.566), ranking him third in franchise history in wins among head coaches.