The Michael Malone era of Kings basketball ended abruptly on Dec. 15, 2014. Since that moment, the veteran NBA coach has gotten really comfortable with winning.
Now the frontman in Denver, Malone has turned Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets into a contender. On Monday, Malone announced another personal victory, this time over the coronavirus.
“I like to say that I got coronavirus and I kicked its butt,” Malone told CBS4 in Denver. “I was able to survive, thank goodness.”
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
According to Malone, he started feeling unwell right after the league shutdown, but it wasn’t until later that it was confirmed that he had the virus that has brought the world to a standstill.
[RELATED: 2020 NBA mock draft 9.0: Projecting Warriors, Kings' first-round picks]
“I’d say around March 20, I started not feeling well, and we began reaching out to team doctors to see if I could get a test,” Malone said. “Unfortunately, at that time, there was no testing available. So I only found out after the fact. I was able to get an antibody test probably right around Memorial Day weekend. And not surprisingly, our team doctor called up and said, ‘Listen, you tested positive.'”
NBA
Malone’s Nuggets were in third place in the Western Conference standings at 44-26 when the league was forced to suspend action on Mar. 11. During his five seasons at the helm in Denver, Malone’s posted a 216-177 and was pacing for a second straight fifty-win season when basketball was put on ice.
With a clean bill of health, Malone and his Nuggets intend to travel to Orlando as one of the 22 teams slated to return to action next month.
[RELATED: De'Aaron Fox seeking injury insurance]
“I hope that going down to Orlando will be a safe environment and we can limit the amount of people that actually get it,” Malone added.
Malone has remained a fan favorite in Sacramento, long after his departure. It’s good to see that he’s healthy and ready for a return to NBA action.
