What UNC figures and NBA voices are saying about Malone

North Carolina hired longtime NBA coach Michael Malone as its next men’s basketball coach on Monday and had his introductory press conference the next day.

Malone, 53, 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’s first NBA championship in 2023. He is the winningest coach in Nuggets history.

There were plenty of people who had high praise for the NBA head coach and they see him as the right man for the job. Here's what some notable people have said, inside and outside the program.

Bubba Cunningham, UNC Athletic Director

"Michael has proven he knows how to build strong, successful teams that can consistently compete in the postseason and win championships – and he knows how to make everyone on the floor better. He understands how to build rosters and coach NBA players – which is exactly what our Tar Heels want to be. We are excited to welcome Michael and his family to Chapel Hill."

Steve Newmark, UNC Executive Associate Athletic Director

"Michael was the first coach we engaged with as part of the search process because of his reputation as a selfless teacher and innovator who brings an incredible ability to connect with players and get the absolute best out of those he mentors. He is a brilliant coach who will deliver a modern and disciplined approach to leading our men's basketball program, which is critical in the current landscape of college athletics. Carolina basketball is unique and special – and we have hired a leader well-suited to continuing our championship tradition.

 Lee Roberts, UNC Chancellor

"This is a defining moment for Carolina basketball and for our university, and it calls on all of us to embrace our shared responsibility to steward its future. Michael Malone brings a rare combination of experience across every level of the game, from roots in college basketball to an NBA championship that reflects both the evolution of the sport and the enduring values of this program. He has learned from some of the most respected coaching minds in the game and understands what it takes to develop players, lead teams, and sustain excellence over time. 

We believe Michael is the right leader not only to carry forward Carolina's proud tradition, but to help shape what comes next. On behalf of the Carolina family, I am proud to welcome him, along with his wife Jocelyn, already proud Tar Heel parents, as we move forward together in service of this program and its future. 

Malcolm Turner, Chair, UNC Board of Trustees

"On behalf of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Board of Trustees, it is my distinct honor to welcome Michael Malone as the next head coach of Carolina basketball. Few programs in college athletics carry the legacy, expectations and enduring spirit of Carolina. That tradition – built on excellence, selflessness, discipline and integrity – demands leadership of the highest caliber. Coach Malone embodies those qualities. He is a proven leader, a champion of team culture and a coach whose commitment to developing young men both on and off the court reflects the very best of this University.  

"We are confident that under his leadership, Carolina basketball will not only compete at the highest level but will continue to shape student-athletes who represent this University with pride, character and distinction. His vision, experience and unwavering standards position him to write the next great chapter in our storied history. 

"We look forward with great anticipation to the future of Tar Heel basketball under Coach Malone and to the generations of student-athletes he will inspire." 

Roy Williams, Head Coach (2008-2021)

It has been a difficult time for UNC basketball these last few weeks and I truly appreciate Coach Davis and his hard work for our program. College basketball is changing rapidly and today is a great day to welcome Michael Malone as our new head coach. UNC basketball is special and I am excited to have him with our program. He is a proven winner as an NBA world championship coach and I am ready to watch his work as a Tar Heel! This is REALLY going to be fun!

Tyler Hansbrough (2005-09)

"This is a great hire. North Carolina is going to be right back on the map, immediately. This is, in my opinion, an absolutely amazing hire."

Antawn Jamison (1995-98)

"Coach Malone was on the coaching staff when I was with Cleveland. He's an unbelievable coach who knows the game. He's very relatable to his players and was one of the guys on that team who could talk to LeBron and get him on board. A coach has to be able to do that with his superstars and the last guy on the bench, and he could do that. He also genuinely embodies all the characteristics of Carolina basketball. He sat down with us (this week) and talked about Coach Smith, Coach Guthridge, Matt Doherty, Roy Williams and Hubert Davis. He said he knows what Carolina basketball is about and he wants to continue to do the things that helped get Carolina where it is today and take it into the future."

"(I was) Super excited when I read it. Very unexpected just because I hadn't heard anything about that… Not just the basketball part which is a historic job to take, but just the cool part of his daughter going to school there and just all the elements to it. Basketball in America has changed with the NIL in college and the hiring processes are different at a different level. Kevin Young was an assistant coach, but taking over BYU ht around the time the NIL hit, I think it made a lot of sense. The coaching pool is different. It's not just the recruiting and being in Vegas until midnight watching games. There's general managers and I just think it has changed everything. And a guy like him, he'd be perfect for that job. For all the guys that are here that had known him, we were all super excited after shootaround (when) we saw that it was a possibility. I'm just happy for him and his family. He belongs coaching and that's what he should be doing.

Denver Nuggets head coach David Adelman

"I just think the discipline, the fact that it's more of a professional environment now, especially at schools like that where you have to look at it like these guys are under contract now. I think a lot of NBA coaches understand what it means to coach somebody that's making money. And there is a level you can't go to like it's 1950, but there's definitely a level somewhere in the middle. And I think that's what's appropriate nowadays for the college game.

Just watching the Final Four, Illinois is a EuroLeague team. It's a completely different landscape now, so I think you're gonna see a lot more pro coaches of coach Malone's caliber looking at jobs like that. And it makes a lot of sense to me.

Overall happiness, I haven't talked to the players yet, but they know him well. But it seems like a really good fit for him and I'm really excited to see how he fills out his staff, all those things, as an NBA guy watching another NBA person take over a situation like that (and) what the steps he'll take. He was great to me, I'll be his biggest cheerleader and I just think it's awesome. It's awesome for all basketball, NBA and college included."

Former Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski (on ESPN's Pat McAfee show Monday)

"Mike is a terrific coach and a terrific guy. There's a learning curve… Maybe they (UNC) are changing, they now have two pro coaches coaching in college. The infrastructure of their athletic department, is it now gonna become more of a pro organization? I think everybody should be doing that, and the fact that he knows how to do that and so does coach (Bill) Belichick, maybe that's a sign that they're moving in that direction organizationally."

Danny Green (2005-09) on ESPN's Inside the NBA program on Monday

"I'm loving this. He was a great X's & O's offensive juggernaut to me, so this is a great hire. I love the situation for him and for us [UNC]. This is the start of something new."

Kenny Smith (UNC 1983-87) (on TNT's NCAA championship pregame show on Monday night)

"That would be 100 percent favorable for the Tar Heels. He's a winner. Right away he has a resumé that no one in college basketball has. He's an NBA champion."

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic

“I’m happy for him. I wish him well. I think it’s a little bit different just because he was coaching NBA for 12-15 years. But he definitely has the poise and the brain to do it. I think he’s going to do a really good job, because I think he can actually coach the guys...and teach them how to play the game the right way."

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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC Basketball: What they’re saying about Michael Malone