Nikola Jokic gives nice endorsement of Michael Malone as UNC’s head coach

Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic and former head coach Michael Malone had a ton of success together.

That culminated in 2023 with the Nuggets winning the franchise’s first NBA title.

Malone was fired around this time last year with Denver making a surprising late change and eventually losing in the second-round to the Oklahoma City Thunder in seven games.

And while Malone has been great on television, he took a new gig on Monday. The basketball world was caught off guard when Malone was named the new head coach at the University of North Carolina.

It’s not that he doesn’t have the resume, Malone is just thought of as a lifelong NBA guy. But he’ll he get chance with a blue-blood of college basketball in the Tar Heels.

After the Nuggets’ epic rally over the Blazers on Monday night, Nikola Jokic gave Malone a nice endorsement as UNC’s new head coach.

“I’m happy for the coach. I wish him all the luck,” Jokic said. “He’ll definitely have the poise and the brain to do it.”

Even though Malone has said he doesn’t think Nikola Jokic is the NBA MVP this season, the Serbian sensation is taking the high road. You could argue Jokic is more responsible for Malone’s success than vice versa, but Jokic doesn’t seem to mind.

“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,” Jokic said.

Obviously, coaching college young men is different than coaching the pros. But in this NIL era, they’re also being paid, so there are more similarities now than there were a handful of years ago.

Count Nikola Jokic as still a fan of Malone’s, an endorsement that UNC fans all over the country will love to see.

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