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Brendan Malone was the New York Knicks assistant coach from 1996 to 2000 and returned for a season in 2003-04. Hours after getting dismissed from his coaching job, he along with his family were involved in a car accident.
The accident occurred on a snowy night on the Saw Mill Parkway when another driver hit the back of their car. Malone's wife, Maureen, bumped her head on the steering wheel while his daughter, Kelly, and grandson, Thomas, were also in the car, but nobody was seriously injured.
“It sounded like an explosion in the car,” Brendan Malone said in a report of the New York Post.
Before the accident, Knicks president Isiah Thomas had fired Malone along with head coach Don Chaney and assistant Lon Luger. A disgruntled Malone was vocal about not getting the opportunity to take over the team, considering his relationship with Thomas as his top assistant coach in Indiana and Toronto.
Nonetheless, Malone prioritized the safety of his family and considered the accident as a message that he should value the importance of his loved ones. Meanwhile, Malone's son, Mike, was retained as the Knicks' staff and remained with the team under new head coach Lenny Wilkens.
The Knicks in 2004 had Stephon Marbury, Allan Houston and Keith Van Horn leading the team. Their record after the regular season was 39-43 as they finished third in the NBA Atlantic Division.
Brendan Malone passed away at 81
Brendan Malone is the father of Denver Nuggets, Michael Malone, who just led the 2023 Denver Nuggets to their first NBA championship. He passed away on Oct. 10 at the age of 81, but his cause of death has not been revealed.
The Denver Nuggets issued a statement as they sympathized with Michael Malone and his family's loss.
"It is with tremendous sadness that we share the passing of longtime NBA coach Brendan Malone, who holds a special place amongst the organization and will be a Denver Nugget forever.
"Coach Brendan Malone was a great man who left behind a great legacy in the world of basketball, but he will be remembered more for the amazing husband, father, son and grandfather that he was and the profound impact he had on his friends family and colleagues who were lucky enough to know him. Our thoughts are with the entire Malone family and all of Brendan's loved ones who are feeling the loss today."
Malone won NBA championships with the Detroit Pistons in 1989 and 1990. He also led the Syracuse Orange to the Big East Tournament title in 1981.
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