Mike Krzyzewski, better known as Coach K, had been coaching Duke since 1980 before retiring in 2022.
Krzyzewski and Duke are synonymous even years after he stepped away from basketball. However, there was a time when that may not have been the case.
The Los Angeles Lakers needed a head coach after Phil Jackson and the organization parted ways following the 2004 NBA Finals loss to the Detroit Pistons. Krzyzewski received a significant offer to be Jackson’s successor, but he turned it down and remained at Duke for nearly two more decades.
Dan Hurley recently made a similar move, turning down the Lakers to remain at UConn. It will be interesting to see if he can build a legacy similar to Coach K’s with the Huskies or if Hurley will live to regret giving up his reported six-year, $70 million deal.
Why didn’t Krzyzewski accept the lucrative offer from Los Angeles? The Jugo Mobile responds to that and looks back at Krzyzewski’s coaching career at Duke.
Why did Krzyzewski reject the Lakers’ coaching offer?
Krzyzewski said the decision to stay at Duke was pretty easy because he followed his heart. It sounds cliché, but it’s what kept him in Durham, North Carolina.
“His the heart has to be in whatever you lead,” Krzyzewski told the Gainesville Sun. “It became clear that this decision was a little bit easier to make because you have to follow your heart and lead with it and Duke has always taken my whole heart.”
The Lakers expected Krzyzewski to replace Jackson after the 2004 team lost to the Pistons in the NBA Finals.
Jackson had won three consecutive championships with Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant leading the team. An aging Karl Malone and Gary Payton joined the team in search of Los Angeles’ fourth title in five years.
Krzyzewski won three NCAA championships at that point in his career, and the Lakers offered him a lucrative deal to leave the Blue Devils behind for the purple and gold. The deal was reportedly for five years and $40 million, according to ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith.
Bryant, who had become a perennial MVP candidate at the time, was involved in the coaching search and apparently lobbied for Krzyzewski.
The search came a few years after Krzyzewski signed a “lifetime” contract with the Blue Devils. His treatment kept him in college until at least 2011. It wasn’t the first time the NBA had pursued Krzyzewski, either. He was close to reaching a deal with the Celtics in 1990.
Krzyzewski ultimately remained at Duke through the 2021-22 season and won two more championships to bring his career total to five.
History of Lakers training
Jackson ran the Los Angeles show until the early 2000s before leaving after the 2004 season.
Rudy Tomjanovich and Frank Hamblen split their time coaching the Lakers during the 2004-05 season. Los Angeles got Jackson back a year later.
This scenario might have been different if Krzyzewski had signed to be the Lakers’ head coach in 2004.
| Coach | Years | Record | NBA championships |
| John Kunda | 1948-58, 1958-59 | 423-302 | 5 |
| George Mikan | 1957-58 | 9-30 | 0 |
| Juan Castellani | 1959-60 | 11-25 | 0 |
| Jim Pollard | 1959-60 | 14-25 | 0 |
| Fred Schaus | 1960-67 | 315-245 | 0 |
| Butch van Breda Kolff | 1967-69 | 107-57 | 0 |
| Joe Mullaney | 1969-71 | 94-70 | 0 |
| Bill Sharman | 1971-76 | 246-164 | 1 |
| jerry west | 1976-79 | 145-101 | 0 |
| Jack McKinney | 1979-80 | 10-4 | 0 |
| Pablo Westhead | 1979-81 | 111-50 | 1 |
| Pat Riley | 1981-90 | 533-194 | 4 |
| Mike Dunleavy | 1990-92 | 101-63 | 0 |
| Randy Pfund | 1992-94 | 66-80 | 0 |
| Bill Bertka | 1993-94 | 2-1 | 0 |
| Magic Johnson | 1993-94 | 5-11 | 0 |
| Del Harris | 1994-99 | 224-116 | 0 |
| Kurt Rambis | 1998-99 | 24-13 | 0 |
| Phil Jackson | 1999-2004, 2005-11 | 610-292 | 5 |
| Rudy Tomjanovich | 2004-05 | 24-19 | 0 |
| Frank Hamblen | 2004-05 | 10-29 | 0 |
| mike brown | 2011-12 | 42-29 | 0 |
| Bernie Bickerstaff | 2012-13 | 4-1 | 0 |
| Mike D’Antoni | 2012-14 | 67-87 | 0 |
| Byron Scott | 2014-16 | 38-126 | 0 |
| Luke Walton | 2016-19 | 98-148 | 0 |
| Frank Vogel | 2019-22 | 127-98 | 1 |
| Darvin Ham | 2022-24 | 90-74 | 0 |
Coach K Duke’s record
| Season | Record | Finish |
| 1980-81 | 17-13 | Lost NCAA Tournament |
| 1981-82 | 10-17 | Lost NCAA Tournament |
| 1982-83 | 11-17 | Lost NCAA Tournament |
| 1983-84 | 24-10 | NCAA tournament appearance |
| 1984-85 | 23-8 | NCAA tournament appearance |
| 1985-86 | 37-3 | Final Four appearance |
| 1986-87 | 24-9 | NCAA tournament appearance |
| 1987-88 | 28-7 | Final Four appearance |
| 1988-89 | 28-8 | Final Four appearance |
| 1989-90 | 29-9 | Final Four appearance |
| 1990-91 | 32-7 | NCAA Champion |
| 1991-92 | 34-2 | NCAA Champion |
| 1992-93 | 24-8 | NCAA tournament appearance |
| 1993-94 | 28-6 | Final Four appearance |
| 1994-95 | 9-3 | Lost NCAA Tournament |
| 1995-96 | 18-13 | NCAA tournament appearance |
| 1996-97 | 24-9 | NCAA tournament appearance |
| 1997-98 | 32-4 | NCAA tournament appearance |
| 1998-99 | 37-2 | Final Four appearance |
| 1999-00 | 29-5 | NCAA tournament appearance |
| 2000-01 | 35-4 | NCAA Champion |
| 2001-02 | 31-4 | NCAA tournament appearance |
| 2002-03 | 26-7 | NCAA tournament appearance |
| 2003-04 | 31-6 | Final Four appearance |
| 2004-05 | 27-6 | NCAA tournament appearance |
| 2005-06 | 32-4 | NCAA tournament appearance |
| 2006-07 | 22-11 | NCAA tournament appearance |
| 2007-08 | 28-6 | NCAA tournament appearance |
| 2008-09 | 30-7 | NCAA tournament appearance |
| 2009-2010 | 35-5 | NCAA Champion |
| 2010-11 | 32-5 | NCAA tournament appearance |
| 2011-12 | 27-7 | NCAA tournament appearance |
| 2012-13 | 30-6 | NCAA tournament appearance |
| 2013-14 | 26-9 | NCAA tournament appearance |
| 2014-15 | 35-4 | NCAA Champion |
| 2015-16 | 25-11 | NCAA tournament appearance |
| 2016-17 | 28-9 | NCAA tournament appearance |
| 2017-18 | 29-8 | NCAA tournament appearance |
| 2018-19 | 32-6 | NCAA tournament appearance |
| 2019-20 | 25-6 | Tournament canceled due to COVID-19 |
| 2020-21 | 13-11 | Lost NCAA Tournament |
| 2021-22 | 32-7 | Final Four appearance |
Coach K Duke Salary
Krzyzewski likely raked in more than $100 million in earnings during his four-decade career at Duke through contracts, endorsements and bonuses. He retired from training in 2022, but is constantly seen in commercials today.
Here’s what his salary breakdown looks like since 2001, according to sports and USA Today.
| Year | Salary |
| 2001 | $635,000 |
| 2002 | 1.33 million dollars |
| 2003 | $875,000 |
| 2004 | 1.49 million dollars |
| 2005 | 1.27 million dollars |
| 2006 | 1.39 million dollars |
| 2007 | 2.24 million dollars |
| 2008 | 3.74 million dollars |
| 2009 | 4.13 million dollars |
| 2010 | $8.66 million |
| 2011 | 7.24 million dollars |
| 2012 | 9.66 million dollars |
| 2013 | $6.06 million |
| 2014 | 7.3 million dollars |
| 2015 | 5.55 million dollars |
| 2016 | $9 million |
| 2017 | $7 million |
| 2018 | 7.27 million dollars |
| 2019 | 7.07 million dollars |
| 2020 | 7.3 million dollars |
| 2021 | 12.5 million dollars |
| 2022 | $9 million |
Coach K Net Worth
Krzyzewski’s net worth is $45 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
