yahoo - 4/6/2026 9:41:26 PM - GMT (+2 )
It looks as though the North Carolina Tar Heels have found their next head coach, and it’s a surprising name in former Denver Nuggets coach Mike Malone.
According to ESPN college basketball reporter Pete Thamel, North Carolina is set to hire Malone, who won an NBA Championship with Denver in 2023 before being fired two seasons later.
This, despite strong interest in former Florida Gators head coach Billy Donovan, who is now leading the Chicago Bulls. Donovan was tabbed as the favorite for the UNC opening almost immediately once Hubert Davis was let go. One oddsmaker even had Donovan at -250 to get the job early Monday morning.
And according to Jeff Goodman, there’s a very real chance Donovan would have taken the job if offered.
But just like Mitch Barnhart and Kentucky two years ago, it appears North Carolina wasn’t willing to wait just one more week to potentially hire the two-time NCAA champion.
Billy Donovan wanted to wait until end of season to make a decision on North Carolina and one source close to Donovan felt as though he might have taken it.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) April 6, 2026
But source said that new North Carolina AD Steve Newmark panicked after Tommy Lloyd and Dusty May spurned the Tar Heels.
Sources: North Carolina intends to hire longtime NBA coach Michael Malone as the school’s next basketball coach. He’s an NBA Championship coach with the Denver Nuggets from the 2022-23 season and has won 510 games as an NBA head coach. pic.twitter.com/JwJmUNRLQT
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) April 6, 2026
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