Former Duke Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski has shared his thoughts on the North Carolina Tar Heels’ hiring of former Denver Nuggets coach Mike Malone.
On Monday, April 6, the Tar Heels announced that they will sign Malone, best known for leading NBA superstar Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets to the 2023 NBA title.
During his appearance on the “Pat McAfee Show,” McAfee broke the news to Coach K and asked him for his reaction to Malone’s signing. Krzyzewski discussed how aware he is of coach Malone’s skill set, but added that there is a learning curve for professional-level coaches in taking on college roles. The college hoops legend used current UNC football coach Bill Belichick as an example.
“Mike is a terrific coach and a terrific guy. There’s a learning curve and, you know, if that is true, whatever the reasoning is, maybe they’re changing, you know. They have now two pro coaches coaching in college. The infrastructure of their athletic department, uh, is it now gonna become more of a pro organization? Which I think if that’s true, I think everybody should be doing that,” Krzyzewski said. (1:28)
“And the fact that he knows how to do that and so does coach Belichick, maybe that’s a sign that they’re moving in that direction organizationally,” he concluded.
Malone joins the North Carolina-based program fresh off his stint as an on-call NBA analyst in the past year. The 54-year-old was unexpectedly fired by the Nuggets late in the 2024-25 regular season after a decade of being at the helm of the team’s coaching staff. With no prior experience of a head coaching role at the collegiate level, Malone will now be tasked to spearhead one of the most storied programs come the 2026-27 campaign.
Mike Krzyzewski Takes A Subtle Shot At Bill Belichick’s North Carolina Tar Heels Football Team
On the same episode, Mike Krzyzewski ended up taking a subtle shot at Bill Belichick’s North Carolina Tar Heels football team.
Krzyzewski pointed out that UNC hired an NFL champion coach like Belichick, but still lost to the Duke Blue Devils in the 2025 college football campaign.
“Well, they had an NFL champion hired as the coach, and Duke beat Carolina in football this year. That doesn’t mean coach Belichick isn’t a great coach, but there is time for adjustment. That’s why I said it takes longer if you ever get adjusted for coming from the pros to college,” Krzyzewski shared. (1:02)
Read More: UNC Basketball Recruiting: Mike Malone Faces Major Hurdle As 5-Star Recruit Decommits Amid Tar Heels Hiring
Also Read: What Is Coach K Doing With His Millions? A Look at Mike Krzyzewski’s Net Worth and Investments
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