Chris Spatola
Chris Spatola (January 7, 1979 – September 21, 2026) was an American college basketball player, coach and sports analyst best known for his work with ESPN.[1]
Career
[edit]College basketball
[edit]Spatola studied at the United States Military Academy, majoring in English and minoring in environmental engineering.[2] Spatola was a four-year starter on the Army Black Knights basketball team from 1998 to 2002, leading the team in scoring for three of those seasons. Overall he averaged 13.9 points per game in 111 games for the team. He was a two-time second-team All-Patriot League pick.[3]
Post-graduation
[edit]Following graduation, he served in the U.S. Army from 2002 to 2007,[4] serving during Operation Iraqi Freedom.[5]
Spatola joined the Duke basketball staff as an assistant coach from 2007 to 2012.
After leaving Duke's coaching staff, Spatola transitioned into broadcasting and worked as a color commentator for ESPN and TNT. He also contributed to SiriusXM radio.[6]
Personal life and death
[edit]Spatola married Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski's daughter, Jamie, in 2004.[7] They had three children.[8]
Spatola died on September 21, 2026, at the age of 47.[1]
References
[edit]- 1 2 "Chris Spatola, ESPN college basketball analyst, dies at age 47". ESPN. 2026-09-22. Retrieved 2026-09-23.
- ↑ "Coach K names new director of operations". The Herald-Sun. May 21, 2008. p. 32. Retrieved 2026-09-24 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Marks, Brendan (2026-09-23). "Chris Spatola, ESPN college basketball analyst and son-in-law of Coach K, dies at 47". The Athletic. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-09-23 – via The New York Times.
- ↑ Chavkin, Daniel (2026-09-23). "ESPN analyst Chris Spatola dead at 47: What we know about passing of Coach K's son-in-law". sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2026-09-23.
- ↑ Henson, Steve (September 23, 2026). "Chris Spatola, ESPN college basketball analyst and Coach K's son-in-law, dies at 47". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 24, 2026. Retrieved 2026-09-24.
- ↑ "Chris Spatola, basketball commentator and Mike Krzyzewski's son-in-law, dies at 47". CBS News. 2026-09-23. Retrieved 2026-09-23.
- ↑ Strickland, Bryan (March 9, 2006). "Coach K's camp to family's camp". The Herald-Sun. p. 1. Retrieved 2026-09-24.
- ↑ Lerner, Drew (2026-09-23). "ESPN college basketball analyst Chris Spatola passes away unexpectedly". Awful Announcing. Retrieved 2026-09-23.