 Malone was named as the first head coach (1995–96) of the Toronto Raptors, one of two 1995 NBA expansion teams in Canada.Malone was appointed the job by the Raptors' general manager of the time, Isiah Thomas.Malone was long considered the NBA's leading authority on defending Michael Jordan, particularly after orchestrating Detroit Piston defenses that kept Jordan's Bulls out of the NBA Finals for some time.