Mike Krzyzewski's Grandson Joseph Savarino Charged With DWI in Fatal Crash

The legendary Duke coach's grandson was charged with a DWI in a fatal car crash that killed a 15-year-old bicyclist.

Krzyzewski, among the most decorated coaches in men's college basketball history, retired in 2022. | Danny Wild-Imagn Images

Joseph Savarino, the 26-year-old grandson of former longtime Duke men's basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski, is facing a misdemeanor charge of driving while impaired in a fatal car accident that killed a 15-year-old bicyclist over the weekend, according to WRAL News.

The crash occurred just before 9 p.m. near the intersection of Cole Mill Road and Wyndham Lane in Durham, N.C., on Saturday night. Local authorities said Savarino, driving a Ford Explorer, was headed northbound on Cole Mill Road when his vehicle struck the 15-year-old boy, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

Durham police conducted a breathalyzer test on Savarino, which showed he had a blood alcohol content of 0.11. WRAL reports that Savarino admitted to authorities that he had been drinking earlier that night. Online records show that Savarino was detained by police early Sunday morning until his bond of $100,000 was posted on Monday.

A judge reportedly issued an order to revoke Savarino's driving license. Savarino and his brother Michael are the sons of Krzyzewski's daughter Debbie. Michael Savarino, a walk-on for the Duke Blue Devils from 2020-22, played 13 games for his grandfather's program. In 2022, Michael Savarino was charged with a DWI while operating a vehicle owned by then-Duke star Paolo Banchero. Two of the charges—underage driving after consuming alcohol and failure to yield to a stop sign or flashing red light—were dismissed, and Savarino was sentenced to 12 months of probation and 24 hours of community service.

Krzyzewski spent three seasons as a college basketball player at Army under legendary head coach Bob Knight, then went on to have an illustrious 47-year coaching career with the Black Knights and Blue Devils. In total, he compiled 1,202 wins, the most ever by a men's college basketball coach, and five national championships.

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