Richard Sherman is building a lucrative television career.
He’s a regular analyst on Thursday Night Football and occasionally moonlights as a shock jock in appearances on Fox Sports 1’s debate show, Undisputed. Based on a new opinion about Mike Malone, the head coach of the reigning NBA champion Denver Nuggets, it seems Sherman has the requisite skill of obnoxiously dispensing lazy, half-baked takes down pat.
On Wednesday, the Undisputed panel broke down portions of the 2023-2024 NBA season. One of the early marquee matchups comes on opening night when LeBron James’ Los Angeles Lakers visit the Nuggets on an evening where Denver will raise the franchise’s first-ever championship banner into its arena’s rafters. It’s a rematch of last season’s heated (but ultimately uncompetitive) Western Conference Finals, where the Nuggets swept the Lakers. It’s also a rekindling of a budding rivalry between Malone and James. Malone, of course, famously took exception to the excessive attention James and the Lakers received as the Nuggets swept them out of the playoffs.
In breaking down this matchup, Sherman defended James (who, of all people, doesn’t need the extra help) and said Malone will be an “irrelevant, erroneous name in the history books of the NBA.”
Hmm, I don’t know about that one!
Richard Sherman really has it out for Nuggets head coach Michael Malone — a reigning NBA champion with more than 400 wins on his resume across 11 seasons as a head coach in the league: pic.twitter.com/Lp0CbVWPng
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 4, 2023
Compared to James, yes, Malone’s resume is negligible.
But that would be the case for almost everyone in NBA history because James is one of the best athletes ever to hold a basketball. It’s a little absurd to compare the two with this framing. Never mind that Malone originally came at James and objected to the over-coverage of the Lakers in a competitor’s sense. Is he not allowed to stump for his team — the league’s best team right now — because James is an all-time great? Because that’s just something I can’t vibe with. What’s the point of following sports if opposing coaches or players can’t come for the King? Whether they miss or not is a different story. In this case, Malone has yet to miss in his shots at James. As the old saying goes: To the victor go the spoils.
Independently, to say Malone will be forgettable or otherwise irrelevant in NBA annals is silly. The man has over 400 wins as a head coach and just brought the Nuggets their first title in franchise history. As long as Denver has Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray in their respective primes, Malone may add at least another title banner to the Nuggets’ home arena. Coaches who win one title, let alone two, are remembered and treasured forever. Never mind when they’re the person who manifests that initial glorious breakthrough for an organization.
All this to say, Sherman’s critique and rant about Malone is wrong, baseless, and reeks of a guy just trying to stir up controversy over social media. I guess, in writing this article about it, mission accomplished!
Next time, though, Sherman should really let James fight his own battles. Unironically: Stick to football, sir.
This was how Twitter reacted
Does someone need to remind Richard Sherman that Mike Malone has as many rings as he does? https://t.co/Sy8an1ztST
— Bullets Forever (@BulletsForever) October 4, 2023
The Nuggets were awful after the Carmelo trade. Mike Malone has led them to six straight winning seasons, six playoff appearances, a conference final, and an NBA title, the first in Franchise history, I highly doubt that will be forgotten. https://t.co/tAUsUQTjv4
— Robert Littal BSO (@BSO) October 4, 2023
This Nuggets team is one of THREE title teams since the NBA made the first round best of 7 to win a title in 20 or less games (17 Warriors / 07 Spurs), and they have the best player in the league, if this team will “be irrelevant” that’s more of a poor reflection of you as a fan https://t.co/lYcZuOr7cn
— Chase Pletcher (@ChasePletcher4) October 4, 2023
Omg PLEASE stop letting NFL players talk about the NBA. https://t.co/zAyV5qf3FC
— Tommy Gunn (@TommyGunnNBA) October 4, 2023
Richard Sherman getting defensive over LeBron James is pretty funny https://t.co/4c69Py1p5X
— Trey (@Trey_Mitchell3) October 4, 2023
Tell us you don’t watch the NBA without telling us you don’t watch the NBA https://t.co/SAe1S0pqDt
— Keith Jouganatos (@KeithJouganatos) October 4, 2023
Mike Malone is definitely going to put this on his vision board https://t.co/JjSJ7Ihc5K
— Rod (@rodimusprime) October 4, 2023
It is so sad how poor the mainstream coverage is of the great game of basketball https://t.co/e9RQ7Tkrb4
— Malaga Drive Hoops (@HoopsDrive) October 4, 2023
Please stop making us watch NFLers talk about the NBA. Thx. https://t.co/imXWUrVXIC
— Anthony F. Irwin (@AnthonyIrwinLA) October 4, 2023
I wish more basketball minds, spoke about basketball related things. Not cool with the shade towards a very good, respected, and valued, head coach. https://t.co/JCKZPfX54r
— jeremiah. (@JayCov21) October 4, 2023
“Unless you are literally the greatest player ever, nobody cares about you and nobody will remember you” – Richard Sherman https://t.co/p0czC38F5u
— Zelios (@TD_Zelios) October 4, 2023
