Michael Malone insists his heart is still with his old home. The former Denver Nuggets coach said Thursday that his longtime former star Nikola Jokić is his personal MVP after controversially suggesting the honor belonged to the Oklahoma City Thunder‘s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Tuesday night.
Malone is currently working as a guest analyst for ESPN, and one moment from Malone’s media debut ahead of Game 1 of the Western Conference finals between the Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves caught people’s ears.
Malone said Gilgeous-Alexander “showed why he’s the MVP” after his performance in Game 1. Gilgeous-Alexander indeed won the honor over Jokić on Wednesday, but many observers — especially the fans back in Denver — were surprised by Malone’s comment, which seemed to indirectly dismiss Jokić.
On Thursday, though, Malone insisted his heart was with Jokić.
“I did vote for [Jokić] again this year, if I had a vote,” Malone said on ESPN before Game 2 in Oklahoma City. “Want to make sure the people in Denver know that because right now, I’m getting a lot of heat back home.”
Gilgeous-Alexander officially received the MVP trophy before Game 2 while Jokić, a three-time MVP, finished second. Jokić led the Nuggets to the second round of the playoffs; however, the Thunder eliminated them in seven games.
Malone spent 10 years as the Nuggets’ coach. He and general manager Calvin Booth were shockingly fired days before the 2025 NBA Playoffs started.
