Michael Malone's family hasn't worn purple since the Kings fired him
The Sacramento Kings have made several questionable and baffling decisions over the past few seasons — some of which have been identified by their own star player. Yet it’s arguable that the worst of the bunch remains the December 2014 firing of head coach Michael Malone, who had held the job for all of 106 games and succeeded in improving the defense and winning over the notoriously difficult DeMarcus Cousins. The Kings quit on Malone in the midst of a losing streak precipitated by an injury to their best player, and it struck most every observer as a sign of organizational instability.
Malone landed on his feet just fine — the Denver Nuggets hired him as their head coach in the summer of 2015 and saw him preside over a mostly successful first season of their rebuilding process in 2015-16. Yet his departure from the Kings has not been forgotten. In fact, he told ESPN’s Zach Lowe that he and his family have not worn purple since. From AJ Neuharth-Keusch of USA Today (via PBT):
“I have not (worn purple since the firing),” Malone said recently on an ESPN podcast. “And what I really love about that is I haven’t, it’s my wife’s favorite color, she hasn’t, and my daughters haven’t. It’s almost become taboo, forbidden in our household.” […]
“It’s really funny though,” Malone continued. “I had a bunch of purple ties and stuff, because you try to work in your home colors, but I think I donated them to the national suit drive last year.”
The move away from purple is understandable. For Malone, it wouldn’t make sense to wear the color too often when the Nuggets are identified with navy blue, light blue, and gold — all colors that can be incorporated into a business wardrobe without much trouble. His family’s choice is a little more severe, but it also makes sense given that the Kings were responsible for an unexpected move. That’s a major life moment that could have been avoided if not for the organization’s lack of direction.
Whatever the case, we hope that Malone’s wife has figured out a way to replace her favorite color. May we suggest indigo dyes? That’s a nice medium between blue and purple.
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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
