UNC hires Malone on $50M deal, top 5 in college hoops pay
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- UNC will pay Michael Malone more than $50 million across six years, a figure that places him among the top five highest-paid coaches in college basketball per his contract obtained by ESPN.
- Malone was officially named head coach Tuesday after the university's board of trustees approved the terms; he will hold an introductory news conference at 6 p.m. ET in Chapel Hill.
- Malone arrives as an NBA champion (2023 Nuggets) with 510 wins over 12 seasons as an NBA head coach, but hasn't coached in college since a 2001 assistant stint at Manhattan.
- UNC turned to Malone after high-profile targets Dusty May (Michigan), Tommy Lloyd (Arizona), and T.J. Otzelberger (Iowa State) all publicly committed to staying at their current schools.
- Hubert Davis was fired March 24, five days after UNC squandered a 19-point lead in a first-round NCAA tournament loss to 11th-seeded VCU.
- Malone was fired by Denver in April 2025 and joined ESPN as an analyst one month later; his daughter currently plays volleyball at UNC, per the school.
Why it matters: UNC's $50M commitment to an NBA coach with zero college head-coaching experience marks a dramatic escalation in the college basketball arms race, especially after three top college targets passed. The hire, coming just five days after a historic first-round collapse to VCU, raises the bar for what Carolina expects to spend and win going forward.
