When former Duke star Shane Battier recalled "only time" Coach K got mad at him

Shane Battier played four years at Duke before his successful NBA career. During his collegiate career, the forward played under the legendary Mike Krzyzewski, also known as Coach K.

In November 2023, Battier appeared on the "Knuckleheads Podcast" as part of "The Players' Tribune" and recalled the "only time" that Coach K was mad at him after Duke lost 83-68 against UNC in the ACC Tournament final in March 1998.

"That week, it was an extra amount of intensity," Battier siad (1:48). "And so, normally you'd be joking around or whatever, but none of that [before the UNC game]. Coach K said on more than one occasion, 'You don't f*** with this game. You respect the game, you respect the history.'"

Battier continued to describe the atmosphere and the build-up for that year's Conference Tournament game in which Duke had the top seed while the Tar Heels had the No. 2 seed.

The Blue Devils star also added that UNC, with its star-studded lineup, trounced Duke in the final. It was also the first and only time that Battier lost a collegiate game by double-digit points, which led to him facing Coach K's wrath the next day.

"After that game, it was the only time Coach K yelled at me." Shane Battier said. (3:23). "So, the next day, during the film session, with Coach K, you caught hell. I mean he went after you.

"I was a pretty good player when I was starting at the time and he gets to me and he goes, 'Battier, bad-yeah, I'm Mr. All-American. I'm Mr. Everybody-Loves-Me. I'm soft. I'm weak. I get kicked by Brendan Haywood's a**.'"

Battier continued:

"He was going at me. And, you know, I'm a good kid, I never got in trouble in high school. But Coach K is just, I mean, nobody ever talked to me that way. So I left with that thought that 'no one is every gonna talk to me like that again.' That was my goal."

During his time at Duke, Battier won the national championship in 2001. The Blue Devils also retired his No. 31 jersey.

Battier declared for the 2001 NBA draft and the then-Vancouver Grizzlies selected him with the No. 6 pick. It was the same year when the team moved from Vancouver to Memphis.

Shane Battier won two NBA championships with the Miami Heat

Former Miami Heat star Shane Battier - Source: Getty

Shane Battier won back-to-back NBA championships during his time with the Miami Heat in 2012 and 2013. He was a key member of the Heat team, which was centered around LeBron James.

Battier also had two stints with the Memphis Grizzlies and played five years with the Houston Rockets, where he earned two NBA All-Defensive Second Team selections.

Following his retirement from the NBA in 2014, Shane Battier worked as an analyst at ESPN. He has been serving as the director for Yext, an AI Search Company, since June 2021.