Nuggets Name David Adelman Next Head Coach After Interim Stint

Adelman was named the interim head coach after Michael Malone was fired with three games remaining in the regular season.

Adelman took over for Michael Malone with three games left in the regular season / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The Denver Nuggets have named David Adelman the next head coach of the franchise after his stint as the interim coach, ESPN's Shams Charania reported on Thursday.

Adelman, 44, took over for Michael Malone after the longtime coach of the franchise was fired with three games remaining in the regular season. Adelman steadied the ship well enough after the shocking dismissal, winning three key games to secure the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference before leading Denver to a first-round win over the Los Angeles Clippers in seven games.

The Nuggets matched up with the 68-win Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round and pushed MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's squad to a Game 7. However, with Aaron Gordon struggling due to a hamstring strain, Denver got blown out and eliminated in a 125-93 defeat.

Adelman has been part of the Nuggets since the start of the 2017-18 season, first joining the NBA coaching ranks in 2011 under his father, Rick, head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves at the time. Next year will mark Adelman's first as a full-time head coach in the NBA.

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