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Having retired as all-time winningest coach in men’s Division I college basketball and guided the US men’s team to three Olympic gold medals, it’s safe to say that Mike Krzyzewski knows a thing or two about success.
But if his 42 illustrious years as head coach of the Duke Blue Devils taught him anything, it’s that no one person can do it all themselves.
“If you’re going to have something that lasts for a long time, you better not be a singular pronoun group,” Krzyzewski tells CNN’s Poppy Harlow. “We’ve had a plural pronoun group, it’s we, us, our.
“Then the people that are playing for you, or working with you, own it. And if they own it, it’s theirs. They don’t work for, they are. And that’s the culture that I think we built.”
Affectionately known as ‘Coach K,’ the 76-year-old retired in 2022 having won five national championships. His success and unrivaled longevity has made his name synonymous with college sport in the US.
Some time away from the court has given him more time to reflect and appreciate the achievements both he, and his many teams, accomplished during almost half a century of competition.
But despite the accolades and tributes lauding him as one of the greatest coaches in the sport’s history, Krzyzewski has always remained humble.
“I’ve had opportunities that not everybody has had,” he says.
“But they’ve also been opportunities backed by people who believed in me so that when the opportunity didn’t look that good, they still stuck with me and so [I’m] very fortunate.
“I’ve never looked at greatness, I looked at success. And if you’re successful a lot, then someone will call it great.
“But if you start out thinking [you’re] great, I don’t think that’s a good race to be in.”
Krzyzewski says keeping his feet on the ground was made easier by his three daughters and wife, Mickie.
He says that despite being so highly revered in the world of basketball, his family never treated him as anything other than a husband and dad.
As a result, basketball was kept away from the house as much as possible while his children were young. Dinner time, for example, was not occupied by chat about his work and trophies he had won were not displayed at the family home.
Krzyzewski credits his wife, particularly, for injecting humility into him whenever he needed it.
“When my oldest was little there weren’t tapes, they were reel to reel projectors,” he said, explaining how he used to prepare for games at home.
“So I would bring that into the house and would watch on a blank wall.
[My eldest daughter] would watch with me, but when it was over, she used to like the white light, and then we would do puppet figures.”
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Krzyzewski stands with his family as he is acknowledged for breaking the record for wins in NCAA men's basketball at Cameron Indoor Stadium on November 18, 2011.
Family is and always has been important to Krzyzewski.
Born into a Polish-American family, he knows the importance of his last name and is proud of how well it is now known across the country.
He explains how his parents were worried that he might face discrimination as a child with a Polish name and stopped him learning the language as a youngster to avoid him developing an accent.
He says his father used the name ‘Kross’ instead of ‘Krzyzewski’ and that the shortened version was written on his gravestone when he died.
“We weren’t able to change that till my mom passed. And then my brother and I made sure it said Krzyzewski,” he said.
It’s why the legendary coach was so proud that Duke University named the Michael W. Krzyzewski Center – a state of the art athletics facility – in his name.
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Krzyzewski cuts down the net after defeating the Wisconsin Badgers in the NCAA men's national championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 6, 2015.
“I was fortunate to be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001,” he added, getting emotional.
“One of the parts of the speech, and probably the most emotional, I [said I] wished my mom and dad were here tonight.
“It was emotional then, it’s emotional now because I’ve recognized just the life they had, that led to make sure me and [my brother] would be taken care of.”
It’s safe to say the Krzyzewski name will be synonymous with college sport for many more decades to come.
Over his career, Krzyzewski has had the privilege of sharing a practice court with some of the greats of the game.
From Hall of Famer Grant Hill to current NBA stars Jayson Tatum, Zion Williamson and Kyrie Irving, he helped steer some of basketball’s elite talents.
He also coached the stars of the NBA with the US men’s national team at the Olympics, from Kobe Bryant and LeBron James to Kevin Durant and Chris Paul.
But he has never had any trouble dealing with big egos, railing against the expression: “Leave your ego at the door.”
“Bring everything you got. Bring who you are. Why would you leave something you are?” Krzyzewski said. “We should make the room bigger.”
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Mike Krzyzewski watches pregame introductions before his final home game at Duke in March 2022.
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Before he was a coach, Krzyzewski played at Army under another legendary coach, Bob Knight. Decades later, Krzyzewski would eventually break Knight's record for most Division I coaching wins.
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Krzyzewski and Knight coach Team USA together at the Pan American Games in 1979. At the time, Knight was the head coach of Indiana University. Krzyzewski was head coach at Army, his alma mater.
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Krzyzewski speaks to the media after he was named Duke's head coach in 1980.
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Krzyzewski coaches Billy King during the national title game against Louisville in 1986. Duke lost 72-69, but it would return to the Final Four in five of the next six seasons.
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Krzyzewski and Duke celebrate after winning the NCAA Tournament final in 1991. It was sweet redemption for the Blue Devils, who were blown out in the national title game one year earlier.
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Krzyzewski hugs his star center, Christian Laettner, after Laettner's buzzer-beater over Kentucky put the Blue Devils in the 1992 Final Four. Duke went on to repeat as champions.
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President George H.W. Bush welcomes Krzyzewski's team to the White House after their 1992 title.
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Krzyzewski and his longtime coaching rival, North Carolina's Dean Smith, chat before a game in 1994. Smith retired in 1997.
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Krzyzewski speaks to Duke fans after the court at Cameron Indoor Stadium was named after him in 2000.
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Krzyzewski celebrates with his daughters Jamie, left, and Lindy after Duke won its third national championship in 2001.
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In 2001, Krzyzewski was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. He was joined by his old coach Bob Knight, who introduced him during the ceremony. Other inductees that year were John Chaney, far left, and Moses Malone, second from right.
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Krzyzewski shouts toward an official during a home game against North Carolina in 2005.
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Krzyzewski coaches LeBron James, left, and Carmelo Anthony during a Team USA practice in 2008. The team went on to win Olympic gold that year in Beijing.
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Krzyzewski wears numerous gold medals while celebrating the Olympic win with his team in 2008.
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Krzyzewski greets the "Cameron Crazies" before Duke's annual Blue-White game in 2008.
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The Duke bench celebrates after the Blue Devils defeated Butler to win the national title in 2010.
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Krzyzewski kisses the net following Duke's 2010 title.
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Krzyzewski coaches his team during a huddle in 2011.
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Krzyzewski and Knight embrace after Krzyzewski broke Knight's record for most Division I coaching wins in 2011. Knight was at the game serving as a television commentator.
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Krzyzewski and his wife, Mickie, watch as a new banner, celebrating his wins record, is unveiled at Cameron Indoor Stadium. On the left is former Duke athletic director Tom Butters, who hired Krzyzewski.
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LeBron James dumps water on Krzyzewski after Team USA won Olympic gold in 2012.
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Duke fans cheer as Krzyzewski takes the floor before a home game in 2015.
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Krzyzewski sits courtside during the 2015 national title game against Wisconsin. The Blue Devils went on to win their fifth championship.
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Krzyzewski and Duke guard Quinn Cook celebrate their 2015 title.
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Krzyzewski jokes with President Barack Obama as the Blue Devils visited the White House after their 2015 title.
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Krzyzewski coaches his team during a game in New York in 2015.
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Krzyzewski greets North Carolina head coach Roy Williams before a game in 2018.
Williams retired in April 2021 as head coach of the Tar Heels, Duke's archrival.
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Duke fans hold up a cardboard cutout of Krzyzewski's face during a game in 2019.
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Krzyzewski directs his team as associate head coach Jon Scheyer shouts behind him in 2019. Scheyer will succeed Krzyzewski as Duke's next head coach. Scheyer also played for Krzyzewski and was on the national title team in 2010.
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Krzyzewski coaches his team during the ACC Tournament in 2021. Duke missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1995.
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Krzyzewski and his wife, Mickie, leave a news conference after he announced his retirement plans in 2021.
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Krzyzewski attends a preseason event at Duke in 2021.
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Memorabilia is displayed at the Duke Basketball Hall of Fame on the day of Krzyzewski's final home game in March 2022.
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Krzyzewski coaches the Blue Devils during his final home game.
The big night was spoiled by North Carolina, which defeated Duke 94-81.
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Krzyzewski acknowledges the crowd after his final home game at Cameron Indoor Stadium. There were 96 former Duke players in attendance to watch the game, including Christian Laettner, Grant Hill, Elton Brand and JJ Redick. During the postgame ceremony, Krzyzewski apologized for the loss and thanked the crowd for their support over the years. "Our family has grown up here — 10 grandchildren, our three beautiful daughters — and we have absolutely loved being a part of the Duke family," Krzyzewski said. "It's hard for me to believe this is over."
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Krzyzewski is hugged by star freshman Paolo Banchero after Duke won their second-round game in the NCAA Tournament this year.
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Krzyzewski and his players pose for photos after winning the West regional at the NCAA Tournament. The Blue Devils defeated Arkansas to book their spot in the Final Four.
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Krzyzewski looks to the crowd before the start of Duke's Final Four game against North Carolina.
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Krzyzewski talks with his team during a timeout at the Final Four.
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In fact, he remembers one of his first practice sessions with the US team in which he saw elite players adapting to other elite players all in the name of success.
“Jason Kidd, first practice, our captain, Hall of Famer, leading a fast break drill. Dwyane Wade’s in one lane, LeBron’s in another. And the ball’s going everywhere,” Krzyzewski explained. “So, I bring them together, like I know we can’t play like this.
“And before I say anything, J-Kidd says: ‘Coach, I’ll tone it down.’ And immediately, Kobe, LeBron. Dwyane said: ‘No, no, no. We’ve never played with you, with a talent like you. We’ll adapt to you.’
“It was one of the great moments in my coaching career where I saw talent say: ‘Come on, talent, give me more.’ It’s like the piano player telling the sax player: ‘Come on, go. I can play the piano better.’ And all of a sudden, if you can get everyone playing with all their talent …
“Why wouldn’t you want talent to maximize? You know and it doesn’t mean you have to give up talent to maximize. And if all that works together. Wow!”
You can watch a longer version of the interview on CNN’s YouTube channel here.