For the UNC basketball program, a celebratory graphic meant to highlight new coach Mike Malone’s impressive resume quickly turned into a PR headache.

What do LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Nikola Jokić have in common, beyond being three of the greatest basketball players of all time? Well, they all had Mike Malone coaching them at one point in their career. And guess what, he is the only coach to have had these three NBA icons on his roster during his NBA career. Now, he carries all that experience and legacy to UNC, which now has him as its new head coach.

In a viral graphic the UNC basketball shared on their official X page on Sunday, they highlighted some of the greats who, at one point, had Malone as coach. And of course, he had quite a stacked portfolio, with LeBron, Curry, and Jokić being the most notable of them all.

To be fair, Michael Malone is, in fact, usually credited with developing Nikola Jokić. And that’s not quite far from the truth. He served as Jokić’s head coach for 10 seasons. And under his guidance, Jokić, who was selected by the Denver Nuggets with the 41st overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, ended up winning three NBA MVPs and led the Nuggets to the 2023 NBA Championship.

However, while Mike Malone undoubtedly has quite an immense impact on an NBA icon like Jokić, that impact did not quite translate as much with LeBron James and Steph Curry. Malone was only an assistant coach on the Golden State Warriors from 2011 to 2013. And in this period, the Warriors did not win any NBA titles, nor was Curry an MVP. Although after Malone left the team for the Sacramento Kings head coaching job, Curry publicly praised him as a “huge part” of the team’s success during those developmental years.

Just like with Curry, Mike Malone was also an assistant coach when he had LeBron James on his roster. He was with the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2005 to 2010. And to be fair, during those periods, the team made five straight playoff appearances and the 2007 NBA Finals. And of course, LeBron has also got many positive things to say about him. Most notably, he once specifically highlighted the work ethic and mental approach Malone brought to the team at the time. And for him, that made it easy for him to like him.

That statement alone speaks to the kind of presence Malone offers as a coach. And in fact, that’s very obvious in the longevity that he’s had. With 24 years in the NBA, including 12 seasons as an assistant coach and 12 as a head coach, that’s some résumé right there.

And he’s in fact also not without college basketball experience. Before the NBA, he had also worked as an assistant coach at Oakland University, Providence College, and Manhattan University. Now, back with UNC, he will steer his ship in the college waters again as a captain.

North Carolina gave him a six-year contract worth a total of $50 million plus incentives. That’s a long-term bet and a massive financial investment. Well, that’s the kind of money you’d be spending if you want an NBA championship coach on your college program’s sidelines.

Fans React to UNC Viral Graphic Tying Mike Malone to 3 NBA Icons

In terms of pedigree, legacy, and experience, Michael Malone is, of course, a juggernaut as far as basketball is concerned. However, some fans seem to think that UNC might have exaggerated his résumé a little bit, especially when they linked him directly to players like LeBron James and Stephen Curry.

“Ain’t no way you’re trying to take credit for developing LeBron f**king James,” one fan said reacting to the post. Another fan, in quite a sarcastic tone, also said, “Malone developed LeBron. Got it.” Of course, Mike Malone definitely coached LeBron as an assistant coach for five years. But LeBron was actually already a special player before then.

He arrived in the NBA as one of the most decorated prospects in history. And he was already an established superstar by the time Malone joined the staff in September 2005. So it’s safe to say that Malone didn’t “make” LeBron a star, as the post might have suggested to some fans.

And the same thing, for some fans, also applied to Stephen Curry. As one fan expressed, “This is the most misleading post I’ve ever seen. WOW. Mark Jackson and Steve Kerr are responsible for Curry n Klay, but ok!” Although Mike Malone was quite impactful, as Curry himself expressed, these two, Mark Jackson and Steve Kerr, are the most synonymous with Stephen Curry’s legendary career. Especially under Kerr, Curry has won four NBA titles and two MVP awards.

So it wouldn’t be quite accurate to ascribe all that glory to Malone, as the post might have suggested. As another fan expressed, “These m*s tryna take credit for developing LeBron and Curry lol when Malone got there, Boogie was already averaging 22 ppg.” One fan, also quite sarcastic in his comment, said, “No one had heard of Steph Curry or LeBron James until Mike Malone showed them the way.”

Overall, maybe UNC intended to ascribe direct credit to Mike Malone for developing these players, as some fans think they have done. Or maybe they are just listing some of the notable players he’s had on his roster. That does not in any way take anything away from Malone’s legacy as a coach. He’s got a stacked résumé, got a loaded experience, and that’s exactly what UNC is betting on. Hopefully, that bet pays off.

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