Coaching an NBA team is a monumental achievement in its own right. Winning an NBA Championship is legendary. Having two Worcester Academy alumni—Rick Carlisle ’79 and Michael Malone ’89—reach that coveted milestones is absolutely extraordinary.
Carlisle led the Dallas Mavericks to their first-ever NBA Championship in 2011, and in 2023, Malone guided the Denver Nuggets to their first title. Coming from a school with a storied basketball program, that’s a remarkable statistic. Worcester Academy just might be the only high school in history to produce two NBA Championship-winning head coaches.
A Legacy Shaped by Mentorship
Both Carlisle and Malone point to many influences on their careers, but one mentor stands out: Coach Tom Blackburn. Their postgraduate year at Worcester Academy, under Blackburn’s guidance, set them on their respective paths to the NBA.
Carlisle, a standout high school player, remembers the challenge Blackburn posed when he visited Worcester Academy. “Coach Blackburn said, ‘I’ve never seen you play. If you come here, I can’t guarantee you’ll even make the team,’” Carlisle recalls. “That was the ultimate challenge—I had to prove myself.” Not only did Carlisle make the team, but he helped Worcester Academy win the league championship. He later played at the University of Maine and University of Virginia, then won an NBA Championship as a player with the Boston Celtics before launching his coaching career.
Malone had a similar experience. “When I think about my year at Worcester Academy, by far, the most impactful part was Tom Blackburn,” he says. “He was tough, and I needed that.” Malone credits Blackburn with helping him develop the consistency and leadership that define his coaching today. He went on to play at Loyola Maryland before embarking on a coaching career that led him through college and multiple NBA teams before landing in Denver.
Honoring a Coaching Legend
The influence of Coach Blackburn extends beyond Carlisle and Malone. Many Worcester Academy alumni have gone on to play, coach, or work in the NBA and WNBA. As the school builds toward future success, its new Athletic and Wellness Center will feature a gym named in Blackburn’s honor—a fitting tribute to the coach who shaped so many lives.
“He was a great man, a great teacher, a great coach,” says Carlisle. “Naming this for him is the right thing to do.”
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Michael Malone ’83 |
