Josh Kroenke had 'two factors' for firing Michael Malone, Calvin Booth late in season

Josh Kroenke already knew the tenures of head coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth were coming to an end. So with the "worrisome" trends he saw plaguing the Denver Nuggets, Kroenke felt the time was right to make changes, even with three games left in the regular season.

Kroenke, the son of Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke and the vice chairman of Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, added to the NBA's growing list of shocking moves this year by firing both Malone and Booth on Tuesday. Their dismissals come 666 days after the duo helped capture the franchise's first NBA championship in 2023.

MORE: Denver Nuggets fire head coach and general manager days before start of NBA playoffs

Denver's recent slump, in which the Nuggets have lost four straight games and eight of their last 12, was a key factor for the Kroenkes. Since they were already set to replace Malone and Booth after the season, they made the tough call to move forward with assistant David Adelman as interim head coach.

"I wanted to figure out a way to potentially squeeze as much juice out of the rest of the season as possible," Josh Kroenke said in a video posted on the Nuggets' social media accounts.

Hear from Josh Kroenke, Vice Chairman of KSE, regarding today’s news. pic.twitter.com/n1J5QDGttT
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) April 8, 2025

Kroenke acknowledged the "awkwardness of the timing with only three games left and the playoffs looming." He based his decision on "two factors."

"Those two factors were, side by side in my thinking, which is one, I have a complete belief and trust in our group of players that are in there, and I have a complete trust and belief in our assistant coaches and their ability to step up into different roles. And maybe if their voices are a little louder in certain areas, maybe they can squeeze some of that juice that I've been talking about."

Kroenke said the organization will conduct "a full search" for a new head coach and GM in the offseason.

"I look forward to that process when the time comes," he said. "But hopefully, it doesn't come for a very long time because, again, I do believe there's more in that group and we're not done with this season yet."

Josh Kroenke reveals the 'two factors' for firing Michael Malone, Calvin Booth

By Joe Lago | Apr 8, 2025