Brendan Thomas Malone, born on April 21, 1942, in Astoria, Queens, New York City, had a long and prosperous basketball career. He began his journey at Rice High School, where he graduated with a tremendous love for the game. Brendan’s father worked for the Railway Express Agency, and he learned the value of hard work and dedication from him.
He attended Iona College, where he briefly played for the Iona Gaels men’s basketball team before graduating with a bachelor’s degree in 1962. Brendan began his coaching career as a CYO basketball coach at the Church of the Most Precious Blood Queens and continued in 1967 as the junior varsity basketball coach at Power Memorial Academy.
At the same time, he continued his study, getting a master’s degree in physical education from New York University in 1968.
Brendan Malone was the varsity basketball coach at Power Memorial from 1970 to 1976, guiding the team to two city titles and three “Coach of the Year” awards during his six-year career.
In 1976, he was hired as an assistant coach at Fordham, which marked his first foray into the realm of collegiate basketball coaching. Brendan then coached at Yale from 1977 to 1978 and Syracuse from 1978 to 1984, both under the direction of the legendary Jim Boeheim. From 1984 to 1986, he was the head coach at Rhode Island, where he continued his collegiate coaching career.
Brendan Malone’s teams coached
Brendan Malone committed three decades of his long career to coaching in the NBA, leaving an unforgettable influence on the league. He served as an assistant or head coach for a number of clubs, including the Knicks, Pacers, Cavaliers, Magic, Raptors, and Pistons, bringing his knowledge and passion for the game to each.
Brendan Malone’s coaching record
Brendan Malone had a huge impact on the NBA teams he coached, collecting an amazing 1,165 – 1,001 record with a.538 winning %. His coaching tenure featured 20 playoff trips and four appearances in the NBA Finals. However, it was while working alongside Chuck Daly in Detroit that Malone truly established himself. He devised the infamous “Jordan Rules” defense, which was instrumental in the Detroit Pistons’ back-to-back NBA Championship victories.
