North Carolina reportedly hands Michael Malone 6-year, $50M deal, making him second-highest paid college basketball coach
Michael Malone is being paid big money to turn UNC around.
The University of North Carolina got their man Tuesday, announcing the hiring of former Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone as the school’s new men’s basketball coach. While Malone brings championship experience to the team, it cost UNC a pretty penny to bring in the long-time NBA coach. Malone was reportedly given a six-year, $50 million deal to coach UNC.
His reported $8. 33 million annual average salary makes Malone the second-highest paid coach in men’s college basketball, behind only Kansas’ Bill Self. Self reportedly made $8.
8 million last season , per ESPN’s Pete Thamel. Michael Malone's reported average annual salary of $8. 33 million would make him the second-highest paid coach in all of college basketball this season 🤯 (via @murphsturph , @USATODAY ) pic.
twitter. com/RbjyNCplyb — Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) April 7, 2026 It’s a massive deal for any coach, especially one with no head-coaching experience in college. While Malone has been an assistant at three different universities, North Carolina will mark the first time he’s served in a head-coaching position at a college.