After the Denver Nuggets made the shocking decision to fire Michael Malone with less than a week left in the regular season, it didn’t take long for the NBA champion head coach to find a new home. And it now appears that his stint on NBA Countdown wasn’t just for last season’s playoffs, with ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro revealing on Tuesday that Malone will be joining the network’s pregame show on a full-time basis for the 2025-26 season.
“We just brought Mike Malone in and he will join that team,” Pitaro said of NBA Countdown during his appearance at Front Office Sports’ Tuned In Summit.
At this point, it’s unclear what other changes will be coming to NBA Countdown for the upcoming campaign. Last season’s crew included host Malika Andrews with Stephen A. Smith, Bob Myers and Kendrick Perkins on ABC broadcasts and Andrews hosting alongside Chiney Ogwumike, Perkins and Richard Jefferson with Brian Windhorst and Tim Legler contributing on ESPN broadcasts.
With Jefferson moving into a full-time role as the network’s top game analyst, it seems reasonable to expect that Malone will be replacing him on the ESPN broadcasts. There will, however, also be less airtime to go around, as Inside the NBA prepares to move to ESPN via a licensing agreement with TNT Spots.
Regardless of where on the show he winds up, Malone will be a welcome addition. Not only is he just three years removed from winning an NBA title with Denver, but he possesses experience coaching superstars such as Nikola Jokić and LeBron James and speaks with a candor uncommon for most former head coaches. He’s even already endured his first sports media controversy, as many interpreted his praise of Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as a slight directed toward (Malone denied that was the case).
Awful Announcing has reached out to ESPN regarding Malone’s hiring, but has yet to hear back.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.