Find out what coaching lessons Denver Nuggets head coach David Adelman learned from his father

CBS News

2 days ago

A large reason why David Adelman is now a full-time head coach in the NBA is the performance by the Denver Nuggets this postseason. With Adelman at the helm as interim head coach, the team played 14 games and won half of them.
Jamal Murray of the Denver Nuggets speaks to interim head coach David Adelman against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center on May 5, 2025.
AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post via Getty Images
The team defeated the Los Angeles Clippers in seven games and then ended up losing out to the Oklahoma City Thunder in another series that reached seven games.
"It was an experience, and obviously didn't end the way we wanted to end, but you do look back, you see a lot of the positives in some of those historical playoff games," said Adelman, who got the full-time head coaching job after the Nuggets exit from the playoff.
Adelman was asked about reaching this level of coaching by CBS Colorado Sports lead anchor Romi Bean on Xfinity Monday Live.
"I know you got a lot of mentors and people (who've helped you) along the way, but of course, you've got a Hall of Famer you can just call up (with questions) and say, 'Hey, daddy,'" said Romi, referring to Adelman's father Rick Adelman, a longtime NBA head coach. "I'm curious, what is the biggest thing you've learned or taken from your dad that you put into your coaching?"
Head coach Rick Adelman of the Portland Trail Blazers talks with his team during an NBA basketball game against the Washington Bullets in 1991 at the Capital Centre. Adelman coached the Trail Blazer from 1989-94.
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"Probably just the way you react in games," replied Adelman. "Keeping yourself at a good level emotionally. It allows you to kind of see through things when things get tough and conflict is in your in your face."
Adelman said a key to his father's success as a coach was "being very temperate."
"I watched him growing up," he said. "Understanding the situations is key."
"Understanding that when you get away from these games, the mental health aspect is really important. You've got to be able to take a break, take a breath, to give yourself the best advantage to look back at the game and look at it in an honest way to coach your players."
Adelman considers himself very lucky to have had his dad as an example, and lucky that he has shared the bench with two other coaches recently who also had dads who were successful coaches.
"I came from a staff that obviously had a lot of dads that coached, with Coach (Michael) Malone and Ryan Saunders, so it's an advantage for sure," he said.