Ten days after defeating St. John’s at Madison Square Garden to collect his 1,000th career victory, head coach Mike Krzyzewski finally got a chance to celebrate his historic milestone on the court that bears his name.
Following a 72-66 triumph against Georgia Tech Wednesday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium—the 1,002nd victory of Krzyzewski’s illustrious career—Duke hosted a celebration on Coach K Court to honor the first man in Division I men’s basketball history to crack four digits in the win column.
On a night when he passed the legendary Dean Smith for first place with his 423rd win in ACC play, Krzyzewski reflected on his 35-year tenure in Durham.
“In those few times where I may have been thinking about leaving, I never thought about leaving for another university, because there is no other university,” he said to the roaring approval of the fans that stayed to watch the ceremony. “There were a couple of times I was tempted to go to the NBA and when that moment of decision came, my family and I said, ‘How can we leave the place that we love? How can we leave the place that has helped make us who we are today?’ For me, I want to thank Duke—Duke University and all the people that have been in support of me.”
The ceremony was highlighted by a commemorative video, which featured scores of people that Krzyzewski has touched in the past four decades—ranging from former players to military men to Duke employees—reaching out their fists and saying ‘Together’—a tribute to Krzyzewski’s constant emphasis on unity.
A separate video highlighted the events at Madison Square Garden on the day of the 1,000th victory, following Krzyzewski after the final buzzer as he embraced players on the court and rejoiced with friends and family in the locker room long after the game had ended.
Most of Krzyzewski’s family was on hand Wednesday to attend the festivities, and he made sure to thank them for their constant support and friendship while he addressed the many fans that remained in Cameron.
"Always, I've been with great people on a great bus. And to be on Duke's bus for 35 years has been an incredible journey," Krzyzewski said. "It's taken us to places where we've lost, but only for a moment because we use losses to figure out how they would end up in championships. Because the Duke bus never stops at failure. The Duke bus only goes to success."
Duke University President Richard Brodhead and Vice President and Director of Athletics Kevin White also spoke at the beginning of the proceedings, noting how Krzyzewski has embodied the principles of the university and extended his influence far beyond the basketball court.
Brodhead drew a metaphor to a NASA mission—likening Krzyzewski to a vehicle that journeyed into space to see how far it could go, eventually passing through the boundaries of the solar system—to represent the groundbreaking heights that Krzyzewski has reached during his tenure at Duke.
“I was on this court to celebrate with Duke nation when you won—we were watching the 902nd [victory], remember that—and then the 903rd [win],” Brodhead said. “That’s the edge of the solar system. You won as many games as anyone ever had in history and the next game you won, you were in a space no one had ever been before. Then what happened? You won the 906th and the 956th and then you won the 1,000th and then you won the 1,001st and tonight, you won the 1002nd.... I intend to come back for your 1800th and many more after that."
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