Chris Spatola, a longtime ESPN and SiriusXM college basketball analyst and former Duke assistant, died unexpectedly over the weekend, ESPN and the Krzyzewski family said. He was married to Mike Krzyzewski’s daughter, Jamie, and they had three children.
Spatola was a four-year starter at Army from 1998 to 2002 and served in the U.S. Army after graduating. He joined Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski’s staff as an assistant in 2007, then moved to ESPN after leaving the role in 2012. He also worked as an analyst for SiriusXM.
The Krzyzewski family asked for privacy as Jamie and their three children grieve. Duke remembered Spatola as a dedicated coach and a longtime emcee for its K Academy.