Brendan Thomas Malone (April 21, 1935 – October 10, 2023) was an American professional basketball coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Malone in 2008 as Orlando Magic assistant coach | |
Personal information | |
---|---|
Born | New York City, U.S. | April 21, 1935
Died | October 10, 2023 | (aged 88)
Career information | |
High school | Rice (Harlem, New York) |
College | Iona (1958–1962) |
Coaching career | 1967–2016 |
Career history | |
As coach: | |
1967–1970 | Power Memorial Academy (JV) |
1970–1976 | Power Memorial Academy |
1976–1977 | Fordham (assistant) |
1977–1978 | Yale (assistant) |
1978–1984 | Syracuse (assistant) |
1984–1986 | Rhode Island |
1986–1988 | New York Knicks (assistant) |
1988–1995 | Detroit Pistons (assistant) |
1995–1996 | Toronto Raptors |
1996–2000 | New York Knicks (assistant) |
2000–2003 | Indiana Pacers (assistant) |
2003–2004 | New York Knicks (assistant) |
2004–2005 | Cleveland Cavaliers (assistant) |
2005 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
2007–2012 | Orlando Magic (assistant) |
2014–2016 | Detroit Pistons (assistant) |
Career highlights and awards | |
As assistant coach:
| |
Career coaching record | |
NBA | 29–71 (.290) |
Early life
editBrendan Thomas Malone was born on April 21, 1935.[1] He grew up in Astoria, Queens in New York City and graduated from Rice High School.[2] Malone's father, also named Brendan, unloaded freight cars for the Railway Express Agency.[3] Malone then attended Iona College. He played only one game in 1960 for the Iona Gaels men's basketball team and graduated with a bachelor's degree in 1962.[4][5]
He was the father of current Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone.[6]
Coaching career
editAfter graduating from Iona, Malone then became a Catholic Youth Organization basketball coach for the Church of the Most Precious Blood in Astoria, Queens,[3] then became junior varsity basketball coach at Power Memorial Academy in 1967.[2][7] Malone also enrolled at New York University and graduated with a master's degree in physical education in 1968.[8] From 1970 to 1976, Malone was varsity basketball coach at Power Memorial and led Power Memorial to two city championships. During his six-season stint, Malone earned three "Coach of the Year" honors.[2]
Malone was named an assistant coach at Fordham on April 5, 1976.[9] He also served in a similar capacity at the collegiate level with Yale (1977–1978), and Syracuse (1978–1984 under Jim Boeheim) before becoming head coach at Rhode Island from 1984 to 1986.[2]
Malone then got his first NBA coaching job as an assistant for the New York Knicks in 1986 and served two seasons in the staffs of head coaches Hubie Brown, Bob Hill, and Rick Pitino. In 1988, Malone joined the Detroit Pistons as an assistant coach under Chuck Daly.[10] Malone stayed in Detroit until 1995 and also coached under Ron Rothstein in the 1992–93 season and Don Chaney from 1993 to 1995. Malone helped coach the Pistons to the 1989 and 1990 NBA championship titles.[10]
Malone was named as the first head coach (1995–96) of the Toronto Raptors, one of two 1995 NBA expansion teams in Canada. Malone was appointed the job by the Raptors' general manager of the time, Isiah Thomas. Malone was long considered the NBA's leading authority on defending Michael Jordan, particularly after orchestrating Detroit Piston defenses that kept Jordan's Bulls out of the NBA Finals for some time.[11] Malone only lasted one season as head coach of the Raptors, going 21–61, but handed the championship Bulls one of their few losses that season.[12] Following his time with the Raptors, Malone served as an assistant coach with the Indiana Pacers, New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons and as a consultant with the Seattle SuperSonics.[13] He was the interim head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2004–05.[14]
On July 3, 2007, Malone was one of four assistants hired to serve under new Orlando Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy.[15] On June 25, 2013, he was hired as an assistant coach for the Sacramento Kings, under new head coach Michael Malone, his son, who himself was hired earlier that month.[16][17] However, on October 23, 2013, his resignation was announced, with the "rigors of coaching in the NBA" cited as the reason.[18] On May 30, 2014, Malone was one of three assistants hired to serve under new Detroit Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy.[19] On June 15, 2016, Malone became a scout in the New York region for the Pistons, giving up his assistant job in the process.[20]
Death
editBrendan Malone died on October 10, 2023, at the age of 88.[21]
Head coaching record
editCollege
editSeason | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rhode Island Rams (Atlantic 10 Conference) (1984–1986) | |||||||||
1984–85 | Rhode Island | 8–20 | 2–16 | 10th | |||||
1985–86 | Rhode Island | 9–19 | 5–13 | T–8th | |||||
Rhode Island: | 17–39 | 7–29 | |||||||
Total: | 17–39 |
- Source:[22]
NBA
editRegular season | G | Games coached | W | Games won | L | Games lost | W–L % | Win–loss % |
Playoffs | PG | Playoff games | PW | Playoff wins | PL | Playoff losses | PW–L % | Playoff win–loss % |
Team | Year | G | W | L | W–L% | Finish | PG | PW | PL | PW–L% | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Toronto | 1995–96 | 82 | 21 | 61 | .256 | 8th in Central | — | — | — | — | Missed Playoffs |
Cleveland | 2004–05 | 18 | 8 | 10 | .444 | 4th in Central | — | — | — | — | Missed Playoffs |
Career | 100 | 29 | 71 | .290 | — | — | — | — |
- Source:[23]
References
edit- ^ "Magic Name Assistant Coaches". Orlando Magic. July 3, 2007. Archived from the original on July 7, 2007. Retrieved January 4, 2014.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ a b c d "Knicks Media Guide 2003–04, p. 29" (PDF).
- ^ a b Lawrence, Mitch (July 11, 1995). "Malone's long journey to top". New York Daily News. Archived by the Wayback Machine. Archived from the original on May 17, 2017. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
- ^ Iona College men's basketball media guide, p. 122
- ^ "Brendan Malone". NBA. Archived from the original on April 9, 2005.
- ^ "Michael Malone Joins Bobby Gonzalez at Manhattan College – University of Virginia Athletics". January 16, 2020. Archived from the original on January 16, 2020. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
- ^ Moran, Malcolm (July 2, 1987). "Players; Knick who serves and waits". New York Times. Retrieved January 4, 2014.
- ^ "Brendan Malone." Marquis Who's Who Biographies. Accessed January 4, 2014, via LexisNexis.
- ^ Harvin, Al. "People in Sports," The New York Times, Tuesday, April 6, 1976. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
- ^ a b "Brendan Malone" (PDF). Detroit Pistons 2014–15 Media Guide. Detroit Pistons. 2014. p. 14. Retrieved April 26, 2015.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Koreen, Ed (October 10, 2023). "Brendan Malone, former longtime NBA coach, dies at 81". The Athletic.
- ^ "Brendan Malone, who coached Toronto Raptors in 1st season, dead at 81". CBC.ca. The Canadian Press. October 10, 2023.
- ^ "Seattle hires Malone as consultant". The Seattle Times. October 11, 2005.
- ^ Thomas, George M. (October 10, 2023). "Former Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons assistant Brendan Malone dies". Akron Beacon Journal.
- ^ "Ewing, Malone, Clifford, Beyer hired as Magic coaches". ESPN.com. July 3, 2007.
- ^ Kings Hire Brendan Malone as Assistant Coach, NBA.com, June 25, 2013
- ^ Kings Hire Michael Malone as Head Coach, NBA.com, June 3, 2013
- ^ "Assistant coach Brendan Malone leaves the Sacramento Kings". Archived from the original on March 15, 2016. Retrieved October 23, 2013.
- ^ "Detroit Pistons Add Four Members to Basketball Staff". www.nba.com.
- ^ Ellis, Vince (June 16, 2016). "Longtime assistant Brendan Malone moves into Pistons scouting role". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
- ^ "Brendan Malone, NBA coach, father of Nuggets' Michael Malone, dies". The Denver Post. October 10, 2023. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
- ^ "Brendan Malone College Basketball Coaching Record". Sports Reference.
- ^ "Brendan Malone: Coaching Record, Awards". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 14, 2023.