Men’s basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski has been offered $8 million a year to coach the Los Angeles Lakers in a five-year contract, said multiple sources close to the situation.
Krzyzewski will likely announce whether he will accept the offer early next week, but few expect a decision before Monday.
Sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity, confirmed that the defection of Luol Deng and Shaun Livingston to the professional ranks upset Krzyzewski a great deal. As such, Krzyzewski—who one source said maintains complete and meticulous control over his program—was frustrated with NCAA regulations that limited his ability to compete with agents and professional teams for Deng and Livingston’s attention.
Tom Butters, the former Duke Athletic Director that hired Krzyzewski from Army in 1980, believes the coach will have a great deal to consider over the course of the weekend.
“He’s going to have to measure what the opportunities are in front of him in L.A. against what a quarter of a century have provided him here,” Butters told The Chronicle. “If he were to leave and go to the Lakers and win 20 championships, he will always be associated with Duke basketball.”
Krzyzewski’s ability to adapt to the NBA is debated. Critics say the NBA game runs differently from college ball and coaches cannot adjust to the professional atmosphere. Rick Pitino and Jerry Tarkanian, among others, tried to make the jump but met with limited success. Both returned to college basketball.
People who have worked with Krzyzewski, however, say his coaching skills are fungible.
“His strength is relationships,” said Tom Mickle, who worked in the Duke athletic department for the first eight years of Krzyzewski’s reign. “He can build a team, team chemistry, as well as anybody. I don’t think he’d have any trouble succeeding at any level.”
Sources said Kobe Bryant, the Lakers’ star guard, specifically asked owner Jerry Buss to hire Krzyzewski.
Krzyzewski has remained elusive, however, as he has not been available to the media since a Tuesday press conference when he derided the NBA for hampering the college “brand”. Although Krzyzewski was in talks with the Lakers and University officials at that time, no knowledge of these discussions broke until Thursday afternoon.
Since then, Krzyzewski has not spoken to the media. Even his older brother, William, has been unable to speak with the Hall of Fame coach.
“I know he’s been tough to get ahold of,” the older Krzyzewski told The Chronicle from his home in Chicago. “I’ve been trying.”
Coach Krzyzewski, who has spurned myriad professional teams over the course of his 24-year career at Duke, has only publicly considered a jump to the NBA twice—once in 1990 to the Boston Celtics, and again in 1994 to the Portland Trail Blazers.
When the Celtics courted Krzyzewski, he told the media, “I would be a fool not to listen.... Whether I’d do it or not is another thing.”
He told The Boston Globe that it was not an issue of financial compensation. “It came to what I liked doing and what I think I’m well-suited for, and that’s working with college athletes,” he said.
Indeed, one source told The Chronicle that the current discussions with Krzyzewski and the Lakers are not being driven by money. If that were the case, the source said, Krzyzewski would already have left Duke, since the University cannot afford to even play in the same financial league that the Lakers can.
Krzyzewski, who has what amounts to a lifetime contract with the Blue Devils, made $800,000 in 2002, a figure which does not include any endorsement deals such as his contract with Nike.
Phil Jackson, former head coach of the Lakers, worked under a 5-year, $30 million contract—a considerably less lucrative deal than sources have said Krzyzewski is being offered. If Krzyzewski takes the takes the job, he would be one of the best-paid coaches in NBA history.
Assistant coach Steve Wojciechowski told ESPN.com that Krzyzewski would spend the next few days discussing his options with his family and that he had not made a timetable for any decision.
“This is a decision that is far reaching,” Wojciechowski said. “He loves Duke. I can guarantee that.”
That feeling is certainly mutual, as evidenced by the approximately 100 Duke students and community members—including President Richard Brodhead—that attended a lively 90-minute pep rally last night in Krzyzewskiville. The event, which was organized by students via e-mail and word of mouth, featured numerous cheers calling for the coach to remain in Durham. Brodhead participated in the rally, leading chats with a bullhorn and joining a giant ‘K’ that the students formed by sitting and linking arms on the grass.
Kelly Rohrs contributed to this story.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.