The Denver Nuggets have fired head coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth, the team announced Tuesday. The move comes with the Nuggets sitting in fourth place in the Western Conference with just three games left in the regular season.

It’s a stunning move considering the Nuggets are 47-32 and in the middle of a tight playoff race. Malone’s firing also comes just two years after he led the team to a championship. Assistant David Adelman will take over as the team’s interim head coach with Malone out, per ESPN’s Shams Charania, who originally reported the news.

Team vice chairman Josh Kroenke confirmed the firing in a statement Tuesday, saying it “was not made lightly and was evaluated very carefully.” Kroenke added that the move was made to give the Nuggets the “best chance at competing for the 2025 NBA Championship.”

The move ties an NBA record for the latest coaching change in league history, per Charania. Hubie Brown was fired by the Atlanta Hawks with just three games left in the regular season. The Hawks were 31-48 at the time of Brown’s firing.

While the Nuggets haven’t performed as well compared to last season, when the team went 57-25 and finished second in the Western Conference, Denver didn’t completely collapse in 2024-25. The team has yet to clinch a playoff spot, but sits in strong position with a few games left in the regular season. With their playoff spot on the line, however, the Nuggets are on a four-game losing streak. 

Malone was hired in 2015 and won an NBA championship with Denver in 2023. In 10 seasons with the Nuggets, Malone has a 471-327 record.

This breaking news story will be updated.

The Denver Nuggets have fired head coach Michael Malone, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.