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Nikola Jokic’s Feelings About Nuggets Hit With Bombshell Report Amid Coaching News

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Ashish Mathur | Last updated Apr 10, 2025 11:43 AM ET

The Denver Nuggets fired head coach Michael Malone on Tuesday in a stunning move. Malone led the Nuggets to the 2023 championship and has the most wins in franchise history.

Whenever something big like this happens in the NBA, behind-the-scenes details usually come out a day or two later and that's exactly what is happening in Denver.

Sam Amick and Tony Jones of The Athletic published an extensive column on Thursday about why the Nuggets fired Malone. Everyone knew Malone and Calvin Booth (who was also fired as GM) didn't have a good relationship.

However, many fans who read The Athletic's article were surprised to see that Denver superstar center Nikola Jokic became "frustrated" with Malone as well.

"The Nuggets’ locker room was a mess, with team and league sources indicating that the franchise’s most important players, including three-time league MVP Nikola Jokic, had grown frustrated and fatigued by Malone’s fiery ways," Amick and Jones wrote.

Jokic, the three-time MVP who is averaging a triple-double this season, has spent his entire career with the Nuggets. He has never hinted about wanting to leave Denver.

However, according to Amick and Jones, after the Nuggets lost to the Washington Wizards at home in March, rival teams began to hear that Jokic's "patience was wearing thin with the sad state of affairs" in Denver.

"The home loss against Washington was a new low, with the tanking Wizards scoring at will in a 126-123 win that left Jokic fuming afterward," Amick and Jones wrote. "The defense, which was eighth in the league last season and top 16 in each of the previous six seasons, had fallen to 22nd at that time (it’s currently 21st). At the time, league sources say, rival teams began to hear that Jokic's patience was wearing thin with the sad state of affairs."

The Nuggets won their first game in the post-Malone era on Wednesday against the Sacramento Kings.

David Adelman will be the interim coach for the rest of the season/playoffs.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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