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Chris Spatola, the son-in-law of legendary college basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski and a member of his staff from 2007 to 2012, died suddenly at the age of 47.
The tragic passing was confirmed on Tuesday night by the Krzyzewski family and ESPN, where Spatola worked as a basketball analyst.
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No cause of death was revealed, but a statement by the family described Spatola as “a devoted husband and father.”
SiriusXM host Chris Spatola speaks during the NCAA Final Four radio broadcast on radio row at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minneapolis on April 5, 2019. Getty Images for SiriusXM
Spatola played college basketball at West Point before serving on his father-in-law’s coaching staff at Duke for five years. He then worked for ESPN and hosted on SiriusXM radio.
“There are no words to adequately express our heartbreak over the loss of our beloved Chris Spatola,” the Krzyzewski family statement read. “Chris served our country, was a devoted husband and father, and was such an important part of our family. We are deeply grateful for the outpouring of love, thoughts, and prayers we have received during this incredibly difficult time. We respectfully ask for privacy as our entire family, particularly Jamie and her three beautiful children, grieve and process this unimaginable loss.”
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Spatola graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 2002 and started all four seasons on the basketball team, finishing with 1,543 points and earning second-team All-Patriot League honors in 2001 and ’02.
He served as a graduate assistant coach for Army in the 2002-03 season before going into active duty. He was deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, earning the Joint Service Commendation Medal for exceptional combat performance and the Army Commendation Medal for outstanding leadership.
Spatola started on Krzyzewski’s staff as a graduate assistant/head team manager and was promoted to director of basketball operations in 2008. He also served as a court coach during the…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/chris-spatola-espn-college-basketball-014612684.html
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Publish date : 2026-09-23 01:46:00
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