"I never considered it to be a challenge to go to the NBA" — When Duke's Coach K turned down the Celtics and Lakers for ACC basketball
Mike Krzyzewski, popularly known as Coach K, is one of the greatest ever coaches in college basketball. He spent his coaching career in college basketball and shunned any offers from the NBA during his over four-decade tenure at Duke.
In a recent interview, Coach K explained that he turned down the NBA because he never saw the league as challenging enough to quit the college game. However, he later developed a significant respect for the league during his tenure as the national team coach.
“I never considered it to be a challenge to go to the NBA — I thought it was pretty challenging to win the ACC,” Krzyzewski said in an exclusive interview with Olympics.com.
“I got my fix during the 11 years I coached the national team, and it made me appreciate the NBA even more, and that's why I'm associated with it [the NBA] now in an advisory role,” he added.
What NBA offers did Coach K receive during his time at Duke?
Coach K was a coveted coach during his time with the Blue Devils due to his success with the program. While many NBA teams considered bringing him on board at different times, he received solid offers from two of them: the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers.
"There were two opportunities [in particular] I had to go to the NBA, with the Celtics in the 90's and the Lakers in 2005. But I love Duke, and I love college, especially how it was then," Krzyzewski said. "I'm not sure that if it was today, and I was that age, I wouldn't have gone.”
When the Celtics' offer came in 1990, it was definitely worth considering. However, the coach released an official statement to withdraw from consideration.
“I have withdrawn my name from consideration for the Boston Celtics coaching position,” Krzyzewski said. “I appreciate the opportunity to talk to the Celtics about the job, and I appreciate Duke University allowing me to do so. I have made the decision to remain at Duke.”
Coach K eventually ended his career after 42 years as the coach of Duke. His tenure was largely successful, winning five national championships, 13 ACC regular-season titles and 15 ACC tournaments. He also appeared in the Final Four 13 times with the Blue Devils.
He was also the coach of the United States national team for 11 years. In this period, he won two FIBA World Cups and three Olympic gold medals.