NBA names Mike Krzyzewski a special adviser to basketball operations

The NBA announced today thatHall-of-Famer Mike Krzyzewski, the all-time wins leader in NCAADivision I men’s basketball and a six-time gold medalist as headcoach of the USA Basketball Men’s Senior National Team, has beenappointed special adviser to basketball operations.

In his new role, Krzyzewski willprovide counsel to the league office, NBA team executives and otherleaders across the league on a host of issues related to the game.He will begin in this consulting capacity by attending a meeting ofNBA general managers next week inChicago.

“We are honored to have Coach K jointhe NBA family and share his vast experience and expertise with theleague and our teams,” said NBA president, league operations ByronSpruell. “As a preeminent coach and renowned leader who caresdeeply about the game of basketball, he is uniquely suited to drivediscussions and offer insights about the present and future of theNBA.”

“This is a tremendous opportunity todeepen my connection to the NBA and participate in conversationsabout further strengthening the league and the game,” saidKrzyzewski. “Even in my retirement from coaching, my passion forthe sport has never been higher. This role will enable me tostay engaged with basketball at the highest level.”

Krzyzewski joins the NBA one yearafter completing a storied 47-year career as a college basketballhead coach, including 42 seasons at Duke (1980-2022) and fiveseasons at his alma mater, Army West Point (1975-80). He went1202-368 (.766) overall and 1129-309 (.785) with the Blue Devils,making him the winningest men’s coach in NCAA history and at oneschool.

During his extraordinary tenure atDuke, Krzyzewski won five national championships and set the NCAArecord for Final Four appearances by a head coach with 13. He alsoholds NCAA Tournament records for the most victories (101) andappearances (36) by a head coach.

Duke averaged nearly 27 victories perseason under Krzyzewski, who won a national Coach of the Year awardin eight different seasons and was selected as the ACC Coach of theYear five times. The Blue Devils spent 127 weeks ranked No. 1 inthe Associated Press Top 25 College Basketball Poll, the most by ahead coach in poll history. Krzyzewski tutored 73 NBA Draftselections at Duke, including 46 first-round picks and four No. 1overall picks.

In addition to his historic collegecoaching career, Krzyzewski made his mark in internationalcompetition as head coach of USA Basketball Men’s Senior NationalTeam from 2005-16. He guided the program to an 88-1 record,including a 24-0 mark in the Olympics.

With Krzyzewski at the helm, theUnited States won three gold medals in the Olympics (2008, 2012 and2016), two in the FIBA Basketball World Cup (2010 and 2014) and onein the FIBA AmeriCup (2007). Krzyzewski is the onlybasketball head coach to lead a nation to three consecutive Olympicchampionships, and he helped the United States earn back-to-backtitles at the FIBA Basketball World Cup for the first time.He was named the USA Basketball National Coach of the Year a recordseven times.

Among his other accolades, Krzyzewskiwas inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in2001 and the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006. TheChicago native was also enshrined in the Army Sports Hall of Fame(2009), the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame (2010) and the DukeAthletics Hall of Fame (2011).

A West Point graduate and three-yearletterman on the basketball team, Krzyzewski served as an Armyofficer and attained the rank of Captain before moving into collegecoaching. In recognition of his service to the United States,Krzyzewski was honored with the Distinguished Graduate Award by theUnited States Military Academy in 2005 and the George CatlettMarshall Medal by the Association of the United States Army in2014.