Following the team’s first game after firing head coach Michael Malone, Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic gave insight into his knowledge of one of the most surprising moves of the NBA season. In what was his first public message after Malone was fired, Jokic said that he knew about the move a little before everyone else.
Malone, who helped lead Denver to a championship in 2023, was let go with just three games left in the 2024-25 regular season. David Adelman was elevated to interim head coach in Malone’s place for the remainder of the year.
Jokic made comments on the coaching change after recording his 33rd triple-double of the season in a win against the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday. Speaking to reporters after the game, Jokic said that he knew about the news before most others, yet still didn’t have a say in the decision.
“And (Josh Kroenke) told me, ‘We made a decision.’ So it was not a discussion. It was a decision,” Jokic said. “He told me why. And so I listened. And I accepted it. I’m not going to tell you what he told me. I’m going to keep that private.”
Jokic, who has won three of the last four NBA MVP awards, has never been that outspoken to the media, which is why his recent comments on Malone are somewhat surprising. Malone had coached Jokic for the entirety of his career. In the ten seasons the two spent together, the Nuggets had a record of 471-327, seven consecutive playoff appearances, and a title in 2023.
“I texted to him,” Jokic said. “It was a 10-year relationship, so it was a heavy day for everybody, probably especially for him and his family. But I would say it’s part of the business.”
According to multiple sources, the coaching change was felt heavily in the Nuggets’ locker room. While Malone had led a team with consistency and success, the move seemed to affect nearly all of Denver’s roster.
“I mean, when someone wants to make [a personnel change] or change energy, that’s probably what they do,” Jokic said. “In my country (Serbia), if someone get fired, word is probably you are the next (one to go).”
The Nuggets won their first game under Adelman as interim head coach, snapping a four-game losing streak and putting themselves in a better position for the upcoming playoffs. While Adelman has consistently praised Malone and the job he did leading the team, he also stated that there needs to be a change in mindset and vibe going forward.
“I do think it’s on the room to start to rely on each other in a more positive way, and constructive criticism is good,” Adelman said after his first game coaching. “But I think there’s got to be a better way to communicate with our group, and that, I think, will lead to better play.”
Much of Malone’s firing seemed to stem from his relationship, or lack thereof, with Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth. While the two reportedly didn’t agree on how to develop and play the younger guys on the team, Denver has still had a relatively successful season and hopes to make waves in the postseason. Adelman didn’t comment on Malone and Booth’s relationship, but he did share the sentiment that the team still has playoff hopes despite the late-season change.
“We are in the mix here, and I think people forget that,” Adelman said. “[They] keep thinking that we didn’t make the playoffs or whatever. We still have a great chance to do something special. We talked about that. The guys seemed convinced.”
It still seems insane that a team like the Nuggets would fire Malone with three games left in the regular season while fighting for Western Conference playoff seeding. However, team ownership made that move, and it’s now up to the players to go forward with Adelman and hopefully repeat their run in 2023.
From his comments after Wednesday’s game, it is hard to say that Jokic feels confident in moving on from Malone and elevating Adelman. For a player like Jokic, who is at the peak of the NBA landscape, it certainly seems like running the coaching change by him would have been the best practice.
“He’s (Adelman) going to tell you what he wants and probably in the most simplest way possible. ‘So do this.’ And he’s going to probably show you too, probably in some smart-ass way. But maybe that’s the way,” Jokic said. “I mean probably we will figure it out… I mean, we always figure it out. Last 10 years, we figured it out.”
Though Jokic says that the Nuggets have ‘figured it out’ in the past, that was with Malone at the helm. Now, they’ll have to figure it out with Adelman, just days before the playoffs start. Denver is battling with multiple teams in the West for home-court advantage and to stay out of the Play-In seeds. With a record of 48-32 as of Friday, they sit fourth in the West, tied with the Clippers and a game ahead of the Warriors, Timberwolves, and Grizzlies.
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