Coack K to the Lakers, revisited: Why Duke coach famously turned down record-breaking offer in 2004

Brendan OSullivan

Coack K to the Lakers, revisited: Why Duke coach famously turned down record-breaking offer in 2004 image

Mike Krzyzewski, better known as Coach K, had been coaching Duke since 1980 before he retired in 2022.

Krzyzewski and Duke are synonymous even years after he's stepped away from basketball. There was a moment when that may not have been the case, however.

The Los Angeles Lakers needed a head coach after Phil Jackson and the organization parted ways following the 2004 NBA Finals loss to the Detroit Pistons. Krzyzewski received a major offer to be Jackson's successor, but he declined and remained at Duke for nearly two more decades.

Dan Hurley recently made a similar move, spurning the Lakers to remain at UConn. It will be interesting to see if he can build a Coach K-like legacy with the Huskies or if Hurley will live to regret passing on the reported six-year, $70 million deal.

Why didn't Krzyzewski take the lucrative offer from Los Angeles? The Sporting News answers that and revisits Krzyzewski's coaching career at Duke.

MORE: Why Lakers are targeting Dan Hurley over JJ Redick

Why did Krzyzewski decline Lakers coaching offer?

Krzyzewski said the decision was fairly easy to stay at Duke because he followed his heart. It sounds cliche, but it's what kept him in Durham, North Carolina.

"Your heart has to be in whatever you lead," Krzyzewski told the Gainesville Sun. "It became apparent that this decision was somewhat easier to make because you have to follow your heart and lead with it and Duke has always taken up my whole heart."

The Lakers hoped Krzyzewski would take over for Jackson after the 2004 squad lost to the Pistons in the NBA Finals.

Jackson had won three straight championships with Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant at the forefront of the roster. An aging Karl Malone and Gary Payton joined the team in search for Los Angeles' fourth title in five years.

MORE: How Coach K is helping in Lakers' 2024 coaching search

Krzyzewski won three NCAA championships at that point in his career, and the Lakers offered him a lucrative deal to leave the Blue Devils behind for the purple and gold. The deal was reportedly five years, $40 million, according to ESPN's Stephen A. Smith.

Bryant, who had blossomed into a perennial MVP candidate at this point, was involved in the coaching search and apparently pushing for Krzyzewski.

The search came a few years after Krzyzewski had signed a "lifetime" contract with the Blue Devils. His deal kept him at the university until at least 2011. It wasn't the first time the NBA sought out Krzyzewski either. He was close to a deal with the Celtics in 1990.

Krzyzewski ultimately remained at Duke through the 2021-22 season and won another two championships to put his career total at five.

MORE: Why LeBron James would like Dan Hurley to be next Lakers' coach

Lakers coaching history

Jackson was running the Los Angeles show through the early 2000s before leaving after the 2004 season.

Rudy Tomjanovich and Frank Hamblen split time coaching the Lakers during the 2004-05 season. Los Angeles brought back Jackson one year later.

MORE: How Dan Hurley's Lakers salary compares to UConn contract

This outlook could have been different had Krzyzewski signed on to be the Lakers head coach in 2004.

CoachYearsRecordNBA championships
John Kundla1948-58, 1958-59423-3025
George Mikan1957-589-300
John Castellani1959-6011-250
Jim Pollard1959-6014-250
Fred Schaus1960-67315-2450
Butch van Breda Kolff1967-69107-570
Joe Mullaney1969-7194-700
Bill Sharman1971-76246-1641
Jerry West1976-79145-1010
Jack McKinney1979-8010-40
Paul Westhead1979-81111-501
Pat Riley1981-90533-1944
Mike Dunleavy1990-92101-630
Randy Pfund1992-9466-800
Bill Bertka1993-942-10
Magic Johnson1993-945-110
Del Harris1994-99224-1160
Kurt Rambis1998-9924-130
Phil Jackson1999-2004, 2005-11610-2925
Rudy Tomjanovich2004-0524-190
Frank Hamblen2004-0510-290
Mike Brown2011-1242-290
Bernie Bickerstaff2012-134-10
Mike D'Antoni2012-1467-870
Byron Scott2014-1638-1260
Luke Walton2016-1998-1480
Frank Vogel2019-22127-981
Darvin Ham2022-2490-740

Coach K Duke record

SeasonRecordFinish
1980-8117-13Missed NCAA Tournament
1981-8210-17Missed NCAA Tournament
1982-8311-17Missed NCAA Tournament
1983-8424-10NCAA Tournament appearance
1984-8523-8NCAA Tournament appearance
1985-8637-3Final Four appearance
1986-8724-9NCAA Tournament appearance
1987-8828-7Final Four appearance
1988-8928-8Final Four appearance
1989-9029-9Final Four appearance
1990-9132-7NCAA champion
1991-9234-2NCAA champion
1992-9324-8NCAA Tournament appearance
1993-9428-6Final Four appearance
1994-959-3Missed NCAA Tournament
1995-9618-13NCAA Tournament appearance
1996-9724-9NCAA Tournament appearance
1997-9832-4NCAA Tournament appearance
1998-9937-2Final Four appearance
1999-0029-5NCAA Tournament appearance
2000-0135-4NCAA champion
2001-0231-4NCAA Tournament appearance
2002-0326-7NCAA Tournament appearance
2003-0431-6Final Four appearance
2004-0527-6NCAA Tournament appearance
2005-0632-4NCAA Tournament appearance
2006-0722-11NCAA Tournament appearance
2007-0828-6NCAA Tournament appearance
2008-0930-7NCAA Tournament appearance
2009-201035-5NCAA champion
2010-1132-5NCAA Tournament appearance
2011-1227-7NCAA Tournament appearance
2012-1330-6NCAA Tournament appearance
2013-1426-9NCAA Tournament appearance
2014-1535-4NCAA champion
2015-1625-11NCAA Tournament appearance
2016-1728-9NCAA Tournament appearance
2017-1829-8NCAA Tournament appearance
2018-1932-6NCAA Tournament appearance
2019-2025-6Tournament cancelled due to COVID-19
2020-2113-11Missed NCAA Tournament
2021-2232-7Final Four appearance

Coach K Duke salary

Krzyzewski likely raked in over $100 million in earnings over his four-decade career at Duke through contracts, endorsements and bonuses. He retired from coaching in 2022, but he's constantly seen in commercials today.

Here's what his salary breakdown looks like since 2001, according to Sportico and USA Today.

YearSalary
2001$635,000
2002$1.33 million
2003$875,000
2004$1.49 million
2005$1.27 million
2006$1.39 million
2007$2.24 million
2008$3.74 million
2009$4.13 million
2010$8.66 million
2011$7.24 million
2012$9.66 million
2013$6.06 million
2014$7.3 million
2015$5.55 million
2016$9 million
2017$7 million
2018$7.27 million
2019$7.07 million
2020$7.3 million
2021$12.5 million
2022$9 million

Coach K net worth

Krzyzewski's net worth is listed at $45 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

Brendan OSullivan

Brendan OSullivan Photo

Brendan O'Sullivan is an editorial intern for Sporting News, joining in 2024. He previously worked at Newsday on Long Island, New York after graduating from Quinnipiac University.