Nuggets Owner Admits He Wanted To Fire Michael Malone Months Before Shocking Decision

Nuggets fans in tears, players reeling, and a Western Conference playoff jolt — Michael Malone’s firing last week rocked Denver.

But owner Josh Kroenke had been scheming the move months ago — since Nov. 2024.

READ: Denver Nuggets Fire Head Coach Michael Malone In Stunning Move A Week Before Playoffs Begin

An eight-game winning streak back then stalled his plan, but with three games left, Kroenke struck, also dismissing general manager Calvin Booth, who often butted heads with Malone.

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 04: Head coach Michael Malone of the Denver Nuggets looks on against the Golden State Warriors in the fourth quarter at Chase Center on April 04, 2025 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images)

DENVER, CO - APRIL 14: President Josh Kroenke of the Denver Nuggets speaks about the recent firings of former head coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth at Ball Arena on Monday, April, 14, 2025. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/via Getty Images/Denver Post)

Speaking to the media on Monday, Kroenke shared that the NBA season's biggest shock in firing Malone was months in the works. 

He admitted that it would have happened if not for a late surge in the Nuggets' play that month.

"So, what would be crazier, me doing what I did last week or doing it on an eight-game winning streak?" Kroenke shared.

Kroenke’s claim could very well be a way to control the firestorm started by Malone's firing.

"I think that those eight games masked a trend that was going on behind closed doors that ultimately started to really affect the end of our season," he added.

Kroenke also spoke on the ripple effect Malone’s firing could have on team star Nikola Jokic during this crucial point in the Serbian great’s career.

DENVER, COLORADO - MARCH 26: Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets waves to the crowd after a win against the Milwaukee Bucks at Ball Arena on March 26, 2025 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Isaac Wasserman/Clarkson Creative/Getty Images)

"You have a responsibility when you have a player like [Jokic], especially, obviously, in his prime," Kroenke said.

"But I feel an even greater responsibility to the person. ... I’d be the dumbest guy in basketball if I wasn’t asking him for his opinion on certain things. But it’s my responsibility to make those decisions for the best of the organization and I think Jokic understands and respects that."

While Denver grappled, Jokic spoke after a win against the Sacramento Kings on April 9.

"It was a heavy day for everybody, especially for Mike and his family," Jokic said.

"Me and Mike, we came here together in 2015, so it’s been 10 years. I knew a little bit before everybody. … [Josh Kroenke] told me, ‘We made a decision.’ So it was not a discussion. It was a decision. He told me why. And so I listened. And I accepted it."

Malone, Denver’s winningest coach with 471 wins, left the Nuggets as a playoff force in the West.

And the NBA felt the quake.

DENVER, COLORADO - JUNE 15: Head coach Michael Malone speaks during the Denver Nuggets victory parade and rally after winning the 2023 NBA Championship at Civic Center Park on June 15, 2023 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

Coaches around the league braced, no one feeling safe after Malone got cut.

"I wake up every day saying this could be my last day," Boston’s Joe Mazzulla said.

"You have to have that type of perspective because it gives you gratitude and it keeps you hungry. You have to have a healthy balance if you want this for as long as you can. 

"At the same time, you’re very much replaceable because that’s just how it works. Every day I remind myself of my own mortality."

Charlotte’s Charles Lee hailed Malone and Memphis’ Taylor Jenkins, the latter of who

m was sacked despite the Grizzlies’ fourth-place West rank.

"Between Taylor and between a guy like Mike Malone, they’ve done such a great job in their careers of building an identity," Lee said.

"I have a ton of respect for both guys."

Now, interim coach David Adelman grabs the wheel, staring down the surging Los Angeles Clippers in the first round.

One bold move by Nuggets ownership turned Denver’s season into a volatile situation worth tracking all postseason. 

Hopefully it lasts …

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