Michael Malone had another wild night on ESPN, flips on SGA back to Jokic

Former Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone made quite the splash on ESPN during Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.

Not only did Malone say that Oklahoma City has the best fans in the NBA, he also said Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander “showed why he’s the MVP.”

SGA did end up winning the MVP, but Malone made those comments on Tuesday night, nearly 24 hours before he took home the hardware. Many Nuggets fans took it as a shot at Nikola Jokic, who helped Malone rise up the coaching ranks and the duo won an NBA title together in 2023.

Jokic also averaged a triple-double and finished in the top-3 in the league in points, rebounds and assists. You can make a strong case he was snubbed of his fourth MVP in five years.

Well, Malone heard the noise from Nuggets fans, and flipped his opinion before Game 2 between the Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves. He made comments both pregame and postgame that once again had social media abuzz.

"I did vote for [Nikola Jokic] … I want to make sure the people in Denver know that."

Michael Malone had to set the record straight 😂 pic.twitter.com/dIbYCeAQrh

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) May 23, 2025

“I did vote for him again this year, if I had a vote. I want to make sure the people in Denver know that. Because right now, I’m getting a lot of heat back home,” Michael Malone said.

It’s good to hear the former Nuggets head coach, who was fired after 79 regular season games this season, clarify his position. It would’ve been odd to be bitter at Jokic of all people for being let go. If Malone had thrown shade at Josh Kroenke or Calvin Booth, it would’ve made more sense.

And then postgame, Malone went on “SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt” and complimented Gilgeous-Alexander in a sense, but also took a little shot. He said what a lot of fans are thinking — that SGA’s game is based around drawing fouls.

Michael Malone weighs in on the foul calls SGA receives 👀

(via @espn) pic.twitter.com/93lE8yIm34

— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) May 23, 2025

Getting to the free-throw line can be a skill. But flopping to draw those fouls on nearly every possession can be tough to watch. There’s no flow to the game and also puts the referees in a tough position.

Regardless, after a television debut during Game 1 that had Nuggets Nation upset, Michael Malone redeemed himself covering Game 2.

Who knows what he’ll have in store the rest of this series?

We’ll certainly be watching.

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