Duke Basketball Legend Coach K Cracks Joke About UNC Hire

The five-time Duke basketball national champ decided to remind folks about the Blue Devils' success against the Tar Heels on the gridiron.

Nov 11, 2025; West Point, New York, USA; Former Duke Blue Devils and Army head coach Mike Krzyzewski is honored by West Point before a game between the Army Black Knights and Duke Blue Devils at Christl Arena. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-Imagn Images | Danny Wild-Imagn Images

Duke basketball has won four of its past five games against the UNC Tar Heels and is 6-3 in the series since Jon Scheyer succeeded Mike Krzyzewski as the head coach in Durham prior to the 2022-23 campaign. Now, though, UNC has moved on from its five-year Hubert Davis era, and the Tar Heels are set to hire a 2023 NBA champion in former Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone as his replacement, ESPN's Pete Thamel first reported on Monday afternoon.

The UNC news happened to break while Krzyzewski was appearing as a guest on ESPN during an episode of The Pat McAfee Show. And Coach K's initial response was nothing short of hilarious.

"They had an NFL champion hired as the coach and Duke beat Carolina in football this year." 🤣

Coach K reacted to @PeteThamel's report of UNC hiring Mike Malone on the @PatMcAfeeShow 🏀 pic.twitter.com/P5irdauRE3

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 6, 2026

"Well, they had an NFL champion [Bill Belichick] hired as the [UNC football] coach, and Duke beat Carolina in football this year," the 79-year-old Krzyzewski quipped with a sly grin after McAfee joked that Duke might be in danger of getting smacked around by its archrival now that the Tar Heels have selected a proven winner at the next level. "That doesn't mean Coach Belichick isn't a great coach."

Duke Basketball Treasure Ends Up Praising Michael Malone

After alluding to Duke football head coach Manny Diaz's success against Bill Belichick, Mike Krzyzewski opted to speak highly about the 54-year-old Michael Malone for a moment. However, he pointed out that Malone, who has never been a college head coach, will require some time to get prepared for his duties at the helm in Chapel Hill.

"There is time for adjustment," Coach K explained to McAfee. "That's why I said it takes longer if you ever get adjusted coming from the pros to college. And Mike is a terrific coach and a terrific guy.
There's a learning curve.

Mar 28, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone reacts in the second half against the Utah Jazz at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

"And if that [news of the hire] is true, whatever the reasoning is, maybe they're changing — you know, they have now two pro coaches coaching in college — the infrastructure of their athletic department. Is it now gonna become more of a pro organization? I think everybody should be doing that. And the fact that [Malone] knows how to do it, and so does Coach Belichick, maybe that's a sign that they're moving in that direction organizationally."

Of course, it's worth adding that not only did Diaz's Blue Devils notch a dramatic 32-25 road victory over Belichick's Tar Heels back in late November, but Duke football also went on to capture its first ACC title in 36 years.

It'll certainly be interesting to see how Scheyer's Blue Devils fare against Malone's Tar Heels next season and beyond.

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