“Michael Jordan, I’m sorry you no longer have an interest in Duke”: When Coach K wrote a gracious letter to MJ after he chose not to represent UNC’s rivals

A humble letter by Duke’s head coach, Coach K, to a high school senior Michael Jordan, shows the great coach’s success was nothing but guaranteed.

Mike Krzyzewski is the winningest coach in men’s college basketball history. The Duke coach has led his program to postseason play in 37 of his 40 years and was also the most winning active coach in the men’s NCAA Tournament before he called it a day.

The 5-time NCAA champion with the Blue Devils, “Coach K” took the role up in 1980, just a year before Michael Jordan chose to go to the University of North Carolina to play under Dean Smith.

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On Saturday, Coach K led his Blue Devils into Cameron Indoor Stadium for the last time against the North Carolina Tar Heels. UNC spoiled the night for the legendary coach as they beat the Blue Devils with a humbling score of 94-81.

One of the best rivalries in college basketball, UNC has always brought trouble for Duke and Coach K going back to his debut year as a coach.

The heart-warming letter by Coach K to a young Michael Jordan

In 1980, when Jordan was in the final year of his high school and Coach K had just got his new job, he tried his hands on getting the youngster. MJ had made up his mind for UNC by the time.

But the legendary coach, who would get the chance to coach the world’s best in the 1992 Olympics as an assistant coach of the Dream Team, did not forget to pen down a letter to an 18-year-old.

Coach K’s letter to Michael Jordan when he found out he wouldn’t be coming to Duke pic.twitter.com/J5Gq4v1Vb0

— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) January 20, 2015

Two out of three times Coach K missed out on a postseason finish came in 1981 and 1982. Meanwhile, Jordan as a freshman won his only NCAA championship in 1982, after hitting the game-winning shot in the championship game. He also collected the ACC Rookie of the Year award in the process. It’s beyond imagination what the two of them could have done for each other had Jordan chose Duke.

Unlike his contrasting start to the basketball career with arguably the greatest basketball player of all time, Coach K ended up as the greatest college basketball coach, ever. To add to that he also has 3-Olympic Gold Medals with the US Men’s National Basketball Team as a Head coach, making him the best in that role as well.

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About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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