David Adelmanis officially dropping interim from his title. Adelman has been named the permanent head coach of theDenver Nuggetson Thursday, officially succeedingMichael Malone, who was firedjust days ahead of theNBA playoffsin April. Adelman led the Nuggets through the remainder of the regular season, where they went 3-0, and a playoff series win over Kawhi Leonard and theLos Angeles Clippers in seven games. The Nuggets were one win shy of advancing to the Western Conference Finals, ultimately losing to theOklahoma City Thunder in the conference semifinals in seven games. Despite the playoff exit, Nuggets president and governor Josh Kroenke said he was impressed with Adelman's leadership and the way the team responded to him. "We are going to be moving forward with David Adelman as our head coach... for next season and beyond," Kroenkeannouncedduring his end-of-season media availability. "I think the way that the group really rallied around him, and not only a different voice, but a different style of communication was fantastic to see. We are really excited about him, both what he's shown over the last six weeks and then having a full summer, a full training camp and a full year to get things under his belt before we go back at it again this time next year." OPINION:Nuggets should hire David Adelman now. He proved himself with win against Clippers. Well deserved, DA 🤝David Adelman is officially our next Head Coach!pic.twitter.com/TgSTPVs4I9 — Denver Nuggets (@nuggets)May 22, 2025 Kroenke wasn't the only one singing Adelman's praises. Following the Nuggets playoff exit on May 18, Aaron GordonsaidAdelman "was excellent for us and I hope that he's here next year." Nikola Jokicsaidtheir coach "made us believe something and we played good." Jamal MurraysaidAdelman "did a great job, considering everything." Michael Porter Jr.saidhe hopes Adelman "gets the job." Christian Braunadded"the guys really like him." On Thursday, Kroenke added, "One thing I am very comfortable with, and hopefully our fan base has seen, is how the players came together and really rallied around our coaches and our coaching staff." Adelman previously served as Malone's assistant since 2017 before he was named the Nuggets' interim head coach on April 8 after Malone was let go after the Nuggets suffered four consecutive losses. Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth was also fired alongside Malone. Ben Tenzer has served as the interim general manager, but Kroenke said he "wants to take my time a little more" on naming a permanent GM. The firings come just two seasons after Malone — who leaves the franchise as its winningest coach — led the Nuggets to their first NBA championship. Contributing: Jeff Zillgitt, Lorenzo Reyes This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:David Adelman officially named Denver Nuggets head coach
