Nuggets promote Adelman to full-time coach

David Adelman took over a free-falling Denver Nuggets team on an interim basis just over six weeks ago and led them to within one win of a berth in the Western Conference Finals.

Nuggets president and governor Josh Kroenke has rewarded Adelman for how he galvanised the team.

Adelman was promoted to full-time coach on Thursday, four days after Denver's season ended with a 125-93 loss to the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 7 of a conference semi-final series.

Kroenke announced the interim tag was removed from Adelman's title, and he was proud of how the team rallied around his leadership.

Well deserved, DADavid Adelman is officially our next Head Coach! pic.twitter.com/TgSTPVs4I9
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) May 22, 2025

Adelman was Denver's top assistant before taking over as interim coach on April 8, when Kroenke surprisingly decided to fire coach Michael Malone with just three games to go in the regular season.

At the time, the Nuggets were in the midst of a season-high four-game losing streak and were in danger of falling into the NBA Play-In Tournament.

Adelman promptly led Denver to wins in its final three games to secure the fourth seed in the West and home-court advantage in a first-round series.

The Nuggets then ousted the Los Angeles Clippers in seven games and took a Thunder team that led the NBA with 68 regular-season wins to the brink before bowing out.

Kroenke is still undecided on the general manager position with Ben Tenzer currently serving as interim GM following the firing of Calvin Booth on the same day Malone was sacked.