Thursday, May 7, 2026

Coach K Leaving Duke After Legendary Career

  • Legendary Duke Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski will retire after the 2021-2022 season after an unparalleled career.
  • He is the winningest coach in college basketball history, and currently the second best compensated.
Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports/Design: Alex Brooks

The end of an era is coming for Duke and college basketball: Coach K will retire at the end of the 2021-2022 season.

Mike Krzyzewski, 74, has coached the Blue Devils since 1980, accruing a resume few can match in college sports.

  • 5 national titles in 12 Final Four appearances
  • 15 ACC tournament championships and 12 regular season titles
  • The most wins of any college basketball coach with 1,170

Krzyzewski’s $7 million salary is second among college basketball coaches to John Calipari’s $8.1 million at Kentucky. He’s made $75 million from his salaries since 2010.

With 41 years at the same job, he is the second-longest-tenured coach after Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim. He coached numerous future NBA stars including Grant Hill, Kyrie Irving, Jayson Taytum, and Zion Williamson.

He also nurtured future coaches and executives. Utah Jazz coach Quin Snyder, who had the NBA’s best record this season, worked as Coach K’s assistant from 1993-1999. Philadelphia 76ers general manager Elton Brand played for Duke in the late ‘90s. Hill is now a part-owner of the Atlanta Hawks.

The leading candidate to step into Krzyzewski’s shoes is associate head coach Jon Scheyer, who played for Duke from 2006-2010 and joined the coaching staff in 2014.

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