There’s a new banner coming to Ball Arena.

Michael Malone enters the Nuggets’ three-game road trip one win shy of matching Doug Moe’s record of 432 regular-season wins with the franchise, a mark celebrated with a banner that hangs alongside the retired numbers belonging to the franchise’s other greats.

It’s a safe bet Moe will be rooting for Malone to tie the record Friday in New Orleans and set a new mark with win No. 433 Sunday in Memphis.

“Terrific,” the 86-year-old Moe told The Denver Gazette from his San Antonio home on Thursday. “It’s great. He’s done a great job.”

The two winningest coaches in franchise history met briefly before a Nuggets game in San Antonio, but there’s a deeper link between Moe and Malone’s late father, Brendan, who was an NBA coach for roughly 30 years.

“We were pretty good friends for people that didn’t see each other very much, but we got along great,” Moe said. “His dad was great.”

Malone’s father thought the same of Moe, who led the fast-paced, high-scoring Nuggets teams of the 1980s. Malone said his dad shared plenty of Moe stories over the years.

“He loved Doug, because he was a man’s man, real guy, no bull (crap) about him, great sense of humor, would call a spade a spade,” the Nuggets coach said Wednesday.

“I’m hoping to reconnect with him, because I have just a ton of respect for who he is and obviously his body of work and everything he did here.”

Like Moe, Malone will record his 432nd win during his 10th season with the franchise. Malone led the franchise to its only championship, while Moe was named NBA Coach of the Year in 1988.

“Forget numbers. I think he’ll always be the greatest coach in Nuggets history. Everything he’s done for this franchise, his personality, his imprint. There’s a reason that banner is up there,” Malone said.

“On the other side of that coin, that means that I’ve been here for a long time, around some great players and some great coaches that have helped me. Those types of things are always about who you surround yourself with.”

Malone ranks fourth on the list of longest-tenured NBA coaches in their current gig. Only Gregg Popovich, hired by the Spurs in 1996, Erik Spoelstra, the Heat coach since 2008, and Steve Kerr, hired by the Warriors in 2014 have held their current jobs longer than Malone, who was hired in June of 2015 after a shorter stint coaching the Kings. Spoelstra agreed it takes a village to have that kind of longevity in the modern NBA where 12 of the 30 teams have made a coaching change in the last couple of seasons.

“You have to have great ownership and stability from the front office. We certainly have that with Pat (Riley) and the Arison family. It is unique,” Spoelstra said prior to Miami’s game in Denver on Nov. 8. “I’m truly grateful for that, because we’ve been able to work through some tough losses and tough seasons. I think we’ve gotten better from that, but that’s also why we feel such a responsibility to be caretakers for the culture. It works both ways. It’s a tough reality of where the coaching profession is, how many changes there are every single year.”

Malone has had the benefit of coaching three-time Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic for the entirety of his NBA career. Jamal Murray joined the squad a year later. Malone’s two biggest stars agree when it comes to what makes their coach special.

“He’s a really passionate guy. He likes to win. He doesn’t like to lose,” Jokic said after win No. 431 on Sunday. “It’s something that’s going to be there for a long time, probably.”

“Super organized, it just speaks to his work ethic. I think he comes into every game prepared, knowing personnel sometimes more than the players,” Murray added Wednesday. “I think that consistency shows where his head is at in wanting to win. He keeps everybody accountable, which I love the most.”

Whether it happens this weekend or soon after, Moe won’t be the winningest coach in Nuggets’ franchise history for long, but he’s more excited about the potential of a different banner joining the rafters at Ball Arena.

“He’s done a great job. They play really unselfish. They’re just really, really good,” Moe said.

“When I watch the Nuggets now, I just enjoy the game. I think they play great together. I’m excited for them. I think they still have a chance to win another championship.”

Michael Malone’s Nuggets record year-by-year

2015-16: 33-49

2016-17: 40-42

2017-18: 46-36

2018-19: 54-28

2019-20: 46-27

2020-21: 47-25

2021-22: 48-34

2022-23: 53-29

2023-24: 57-25

2024-25 (through 10 games): 7-3