Sports · Basketball · 19 hrs ago
Nuggets coach David Adelman calls NBA pressure a privilege
Denver Nuggets coach David Adelman says pressure is part of the job in the NBA, where there are only 30 head coaching positions.
He made the comments before Denver’s regular-season game against the Indiana Pacers at Arena CDMX in Mexico City.
Adelman joined the Nuggets’ coaching staff in 2017 and became head coach in 2025, replacing Michael Malone.
Denver won its first NBA title in 2023, with Adelman on the staff, and star Nikola Jokic has won the league’s Most Valuable Player award three times.
The team reached the conference semifinals in 2025, then lost in the first round of the 2026 playoffs.
The Nuggets were 4-3 and ninth in the Western Conference before the Mexico City game in the 2026-27 season.
Adelman said the pressure of trying to return to championship level is motivating, though winning the title again is not guaranteed.
Denver Nuggets head coach David Adelman said pressure in the NBA is a privilege and part of the challenge of coaching.
He made the comments before the Nuggets faced the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Mexico City Game 2026.
Adelman said the league’s 30 head coaching jobs are difficult to get and keep.
Denver entered the game with four wins and three losses, ninth in the Western Conference.
Adelman joined the Nuggets’ staff in 2017 and became head coach in 2025.
- Who
- David Adelman, head coach of the Denver Nuggets.
- What
- He said the pressure of an NBA coaching job is a privilege.
- When
- Before the NBA Mexico City Game 2026; the article was published on November 7, 2026.
- Where
- At a news conference before the game in Mexico City.
- Why
- He said NBA coaching jobs are hard to get and keep, and pressure comes with the role.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Adelman joined the Nuggets’ coaching staff.
Adelman was an assistant when the Nuggets won their first NBA title.
Adelman replaced Michael Malone as head coach and led Denver to the conference semifinals.
Denver was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.
Denver had four wins and three losses and ranked ninth in the Western Conference.
- Head coach
- David Adelman
- Nuggets coaching staff
- Joined in 2017
- Denver’s first NBA title
- 2023
- Head coach appointment
- 2025
- Record before Mexico City game
- 4 wins, 3 losses
- Western Conference position
- Ninth
What people are saying
These positions are difficult to get and even more difficult to keep; you have to value what you have. If someone thinks this job should not involve pressure, they probably should not be in it.
Having pressure is a privilege. You want to be in these situations and you want to experience these moments.
Winning the championship that year was, without a doubt, the most important sporting moment for me and our team.
It is an honor to be in this profession, and I think it is essential to see it that way and approach it that way every day. So there is definitely pressure, but it is pressure that is stimulating.