Over the last four decades, Mike Krzyzewski has become the most successful basketball coach of his time. Recently, however, the Duke head coach made headlines by voicing his opinion on an off-the-court topic.
Earlier this month, Bryant University assistant Chris Burns became the first openly gay coach in Division I men’s basketball. In a USA TODAY Sports article, Krzyzewski applauded Burns’ decision to come out publicly.
The Blue Devil coach went in-depth on his thoughts this week during an interview with The David Glenn Show.
“I’m one of the leaders in our sport, so I knew that this was a situation that was going to hit our sport,” Krzyzewski said of his decision to contribute to the article and to call Burns with words of encouragement. “To be ahead of the game, and to do it in a way that you should do it, would help.”
While Krzyzewski knew his name would be involved with a divisive issue, he stated that he believed it was the right thing to do.
“Whatever our beliefs are, we’re all human beings, and every human being should be treated properly,” he said.
During the conversation, Krzyzewski also discussed his passion for the Chicago Cubs, shared which NFL coach has impressed him lately and talked about what freshman Brandon Ingram brings to Duke’s basketball team. Click below to hear the full interview: