UNC targets ex-Nuggets coach Malone after Davis firing
North Carolina plans to hire former Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone as its next men's basketball coach, ESPN reports. The move comes after the university fired Hubert Davis earlier this month following a first-round NCAA Tournament loss to VCU. The Rams overcame a double-digit deficit for the largest comeback in first-round history, winning 82-78 in overtime.
Davis coached the Tar Heels for five seasons, compiling a 125-54 record. His tenure included a Final Four run in his first year during the 2021-22 season and a No. 1 seed in 2024, though the team fell to Alabama in the Sweet 16 that year. Athletic director Bubba Cunningham cited the need for more consistent elite-level competition in announcing the change.
Malone led the Nuggets for 10 seasons, becoming the franchise's winningest coach with 471 victories and securing an NBA title in 2023. The Nuggets dismissed him in April 2025; he joined ESPN the following month. North Carolina had been linked to other candidates including Michigan's Dusty May, Arizona's Tommy Lloyd and Iowa State's T.J. Otzelberger.
Davis, a former Tar Heel player from 1988-92 and first-round NBA draft pick, retains about $5.3 million in guaranteed contract money. He expressed pride in the program's accomplishments and interest in future coaching opportunities.
