Denver Nuggets fire head coach Michael Malone, won't extend GM Calvin Booth's contract

The Denver Nuggets have fired head coach Michael Malone and said they won't extend the contract of general manager Calvin Booth, according to a statement from the team.

The dismissals come in the final week of the NBA regular season. Malone led the Nuggets to an NBA championship in 2023, less than two years ago.

"It is with no pleasure that we announce that we have relieved Michael Malone of his head coaching duties, effectively immediately. David Adelman will assume our head coaching role for the remainder of the 2024-25 season," Josh Kroenke, vice chairman of Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, which owns the Nuggets, said.

Kroenke went on to thank Booth in that same statement.

"I want to thank Calvin Booth for leading our front office for the past three years and most importantly for helping put the final pieces in place for the roster that delivered Denver and our fans their first NBA Championship," he said. "Calvin's knowledge of the game, his passion for scouting, and his long history as a player and executive in the NBA helped lift our organization to new heights which we will continue moving forward. We are grateful to Calvin for his eight years with the Nuggets and know his place in Nuggets history as our first championship winning GM will be honored for years to come."

Malone led the Nuggets to their first and only NBA championship win in 2023 and is the most successful coach in the Nuggets' history. He was brought on as the Nuggets' head coach in 2015.

He boasts a record of 471-324 as head coach of the Nuggets and served as NBA All-Star Game head coach in 2019 and 2023.

The Nuggets are struggling this season, however, having lost their last four straight games. They're currently fourth in the Western Conference and are expected to make the playoffs, but their final record will depend on their performance in their final three games between Wednesday and Sunday.

They'll play the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday in Sacramento, where Malone served as head coach from 2013 to 2014.

Prior to that, he worked as an assistant coach for the New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, New Orleans Hornets (now the Pelicans), and Golden State Warriors.

He's tied with Doug Moe for the longest-serving head coach in franchise history.