ESPN Adds Championship-Winning Coach to 'NBA Countdown' Pregame Show

ESPN is adding a former coach to "NBA Countdown" this year.

ESPN is adding a former coach to its NBA Countdown show. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Five months after the Nuggets shockingly fired Michael Malone with just three games remaining in the regular season, ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro announced this week that Malone will be joining the network's pregame show, NBA Countdown, on a full-time basis.

Prior to his firing in April, Malone had spent the last 10 years as Denver's head coach. He posted a 471-327 record with the Nuggets, became the franchise's all-time leader in wins by a coach, and led them to their first championship in 2023. The Nuggets considered firing Malone at the All-Star break, but a winning streak spared him until later in this year, when he was ultimately dismissed.

Malone joined ESPN after his firing to break down the playoffs, and after not getting hired for another coaching position in the offseason, will remain with ESPN. He joins Malika Andrews, Shams Charania, Bob Meyers, Michael Wilbon, and Stephen A. Smith as full-time analysts on the show.

ESPN will be balancing NBA Countdown with its new show, Inside the NBA this year, with the latter joining the network after TNT lost rights to NBA games. Inside the NBA is expected to be used more for primetime events and the league's biggest games, including the postseason and NBA Finals.

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