Head coach Michael Malone of the Denver Nuggets cheers after a play during the second quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena on March 19, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. Katelyn Mulcahy, Getty Images/AFP

LOS ANGELES (2nd UPDATE) -- 

The Denver Nuggets fired NBA championship-winning head coach Michael Malone on Tuesday in a shock move that comes just three games away from the start of the playoffs.

Malone led the Nuggets to the franchise's first ever NBA title in 2023, but despite the exploits of three-time Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic, Denver have struggled for consistency this season and are currently on a four-game losing streak.

They are fourth in a tight Western Conference race with four teams just a half-game behind them.

"It is with no pleasure that we announce that we have relieved Michael Malone of his head coaching duties, effective immediately," Josh Kroenke, vice chairman of Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, said in a statement, adding that assistant coach David Adelman will assume head coaching duties for the remainder of the campaign.

The Nuggets have three games remaining in the regular season, which concludes on Sunday.

ESPN reported that the move matches the NBA record for latest coaching change in a season.

"This decision was not made lightly and was evaluated very carefully, and we do it only with the intention of giving our group the best chance at competing for the 2025 NBA Championship and delivering another title to Denver and our fans everywhere," Kroenke said.

"While the timing of this decision is unfortunate, as Coach Malone helped build the foundation of our now championship-level program, it is a necessary step to allow us to compete at the highest level right now."

Since he was hired in 2015 Malone has amassed a 471-327 record with the Nuggets.

General manager Calvin Booth was also sacked.

But despite the upheaval Kroenke said that "championship-level standards and expectations remain in place for the current season."

Malone's stunning dismissal, and the likely unsettling effect it will have on the Denver locker-room so close to the playoffs, is out of character for the Nuggets ownership group.

Kroenke Sports & Entertainment own several sports teams in the United States as well as English Premier League side Arsenal, and do not generally have a reputation as being particularly trigger-happy when it comes to the hiring and firing managers and head coaches.

"There is no amount of gratitude that we can properly convey to his contributions since he joined our franchise in 2015," Kroenke said of Malone.

"It is with our utmost respect that we would like to thank Coach Malone for the most successful decade in Nuggets history, setting the all-time wins record and helping deliver Denver our first championship."

© Agence France-Presse