One of college basketball's biggest offseason coaching moves almost didn't happen. In fact, new North Carolina basketball head coach Michael Malone had accepted the fact that he was not going to Chapel Hill. "I turned the job down three times. I felt finally at peace about that, and I was going to stay in the NBA and continue my NBA journey," Malone told Jon Rothstein on Inside College Basketball Now. That was until Malone had a chance to speak with former UNC coach Roy Williams. "The thing that kinda resonated with me was how much coach Williams loves this university, how much Coach Williams loves this program," Malone said. "That passion that he has. He has been unbelievably welcoming to me and my family. He's been around. I told him it's really important to me to have Roy (Williams) be part of this program because I know how much it means."
Michael Malone turned down the North Carolina job three times before ultimately accepting. What changed his mind?https://t.co/37P3IN8oeo (Apple) https://t.co/sNq3sf2nZc (Spotify)https://t.co/ccgMS4Z0h2 (YouTube) pic.twitter.com/9aLBcsU6o9 — Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) August 18, 2026
Malone and Rothstein talked about the fact that this is the first time North Carolina has hired a coach outside of the "Tar Heel circle" since 1952, and Malone spoke about how important it was for him to keep fans connected to those roots. "Keeping a guy like Sean May, who played here and was a lottery pick and won a national championship on my staff. … For me, I found a way to keep that connection with the past and the tradition of excellence and winning while also hiring guys like Chuck Martin, a dear close friend of mine for the last 30 years to come in and be my associate head coach," Malone said. Roy Williams finished his 18-year UNC career with a record of 485-163. Contact/Follow @College_Wire on X and @College_Wires on Threads. Like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of college sports news, notes, and opinions. This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: How Roy Williams convinced Michael Malone to take UNC basketball job