It wasn't that long ago he was introduced as the new Oklahoma City Thunder head coach with confusion and skepticism. Five years later, he's gone from an unknown to a household name. The Coach of the Year winner is now the sixth-longest tenured NBA head coach after Gregg Popovich recently announced his retirement from the San Antonio Spurs job.

Nuggets fire Malone weeks before playoffs Many question the Denver Nuggets’ decision to fire their former head coach Michael Malone on April 8, 2025. At the time of his firing, Malone was the head coach for the last 10 seasons.

At this point, it's a two-man race, and the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets will face off in the second round, and the MVP award could be announced during the series. Winning an MVP award all but cements a player's legacy as a Hall of Famer.