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Nuggets hire David Adelman as head coach after playoff run as interim coach, source says

David Adelman has shaken himself free of the “interim” label.

The Nuggets are hiring Adelman to replace Michael Malone full-time as their head coach, a team source told The Denver Post. Adelman, 44, has been on the coaching staff since 2017 and took over the interim position with three games left in the 2024-25 regular season after Malone was fired.

Denver won those last three games, prevailed in a first-round playoff series, then pushed the 68-win Oklahoma City Thunder to seven games under Adelman’s impromptu leadership. Multiple starters shared their hope that he would get the full-time job after the team’s season-ending loss.