"My mother put them in his underwear drawer.”: Michael Malone is inspired by late dad to house Nuggets Championship Ring in absurd location
On opening night, Michael Malone will receive his Nuggets championship ring alongside all the players. During a recent interview, the head coach explained the bizarre place he plans on keeping it.
When discussing getting his Nuggets championship ring, Michael Malone said he plans on keeping it in his underwear drawer. He got the inspiration from his mother, who did the same thing with his late father's rings. Malone sees it as a family tradition.
“My father [the late Brendan Malone], he's got two world championship rings from the bad boys in Detroit,” Malone said. “They always thought those rings were in a safety deposit box. And my mother put them in his underwear drawer. So that's probably where mine will be as well.”
Malone's father had a long coaching career in the NBA as a head coach and assistant. One of his longest tenured spots was with the Detroit Pistons, where he served as an assistant from 1988 to 1985. Overall, Brendan Malone was employed in the league from 1986 all the way to 2016.
Michael Malone wants to keep the focus on the road ahead
Raising their banner and getting their rings will be a big moment for the Denver Nuggets, but Michael Malone wants the team's focus elsewhere. He wants them locked in on the road ahead, not looking back on what they did last year.
“Yes, we're going to raise a banner, we're going to receive rings. That's for last season,” Malone said. “But [Tuesday’s] game starts this season. And I want our guys to kind of wrap their heads around that and focus on that because that's the number one thing.”
Malone is right to keep the Denver Nuggets locked in, as they have a tough game to open the year. After receiving their rings, Nikola Jokic and company have a Western Conference finals rematch with the new-look LA Lakers. Dating back to the offseason, the Lakers have made it clear they want to send a message on opening night.
Given it's the first championship in the history of the franchise, the Nuggets should take in the experience of raising the banner. That said, they cannot afford to lose focus. They are in a good position to repeat as champions, but they need to stay in the right frame of mind.
Seeing that Malone is already setting the tone for his team, keeping them focused on the task at hand shouldn't be a tough task.