North Carolina’s decision to hire NBA champion Michael Malone was bound to draw strong opinions, and Stephen A. Smith did not disappoint.
He gave his unfiltered opinion on UNC appointing Michael Malone as their head coach. “I don’t think it’s a good hire, I think it’s a great hire. I think the man knows basketball, obviously, he is a champion,” said Stephen A. Smith on UNC’s new hiring.
“I don’t think it’s a good hire, I think it’s a great hire.”
—@stephenasmith reacts to North Carolina hiring Michael Malone as the next basketball head coach
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— First Take (@FirstTake) April 7, 2026
Well, how can he not when Malone comes in with such an elaborate resume? After brief stints across the US colleges at Oakland, Providence, and Manhattan, Malone transitioned to the NBA as an assistant.
After working with the New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, and New Orleans Hornets as an assistant, he took up his first head coaching role with the Sacramento Kings. One year later, he was appointed as the head coach of Denver, laying the foundation of a special journey.
Malone, with his defensive abilities and with players like Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Aaron Gordon, set themselves up as certified contenders for the championship, eventually winning their first championship in 2023. As the Nuggets beat the Miami Heat 94-89 in Game 5 to clinch the title, everything Malone and the team had worked for all these years came to fruition.
The decision to bring in Malone comes after Hubert Davis was fired following a second consecutive first-round exit from the NCAA Tournament, a disappointing end to a promising tenure that culminated in an 82-78 loss to VCU. Now, the UNC front office expects Malone’s championship pedigree to deliver where Davis could not.
While it is a major upgrade for UNC in terms of getting the services of an NBA-winning coach, it will be a downgrade for Malone financially.
Malone Will Be Taking A Pay Cut With UNC
As expected, the move to college basketball comes with a significant pay cut for the NBA champion coach, whose salary will see a sharp decline. His revised salary now stands at $8.3 million per year over six years, at a total of ~$50 million from $12 million per year.
Malone’s earnings in the NBA saw him earn somewhere between $55-$75 million in total between his time with the Nuggets and the Kings.
Now, if Malone had a buyout involved, the finances would’ve further taken a hit. Usually, stealing a coach from another program demands hefty compensation. Not ideal for UNC as they are still on the hook for the more than $5 million they owe him. Since Malone was unemployed before his apparent hiring, that didn’t play a factor.
Despite taking a hit in pay, the current salary is still elite in college basketball. He joins some of the elite to have ever coached college basketball alongside coaches like John Calipari, Bill Self, Dan Hurley, and Nate Oats, who draw strong salaries as well.
Clearly, Malone knows what he has signed up for. Yes, he surely could have opted to sign with other NBA teams, but he chose to revive the UNC program despite taking a hit. This is the kind of commitment a prestigious program like the UNC demands to return to its heyday.
