When former Duke star Shane Battier recalled Coach K's heated interactions with refs during games

Shane Battier experienced what it was like to play under Mike Krzyzewski, often known as "Coach K," during his time at Duke from 1997 to 2001. The former NBA star once shared how the legendary Blue Devils coach used to interact with the college referees.

During an appearance on the "Games With Names" podcast with NFL legend Julian Edelman in December 2022, Battier recalled some of Coach K's courtside antics.

"Oh no," Battier said when asked if Coach K used to mentor the referees. "If you are courtside to hear Coach K talk to the refs, you'd blush."

When asked to quote some of Coach K's courtside rants, Battier said:

"He'd never degraded referees, but you know, he would definitely call them 'motherfu****s.' I mean, like 'motherfu****s' was like saying, he or she. [Becasue] he just always cussed and I think after a while refs were just like, 'Yeah, I don't wanna deal with Coach K anymore. So, I'm not gonna call these crap fouls anymore.'"

Battier was part of Duke's team that won the national title in 2001. He then declared for the NBA draft, where the then-Vancouver Grizzlies selected him with the No. 6 pick that year.

The Blue Devils also retired Battier's No. 31 jersey out of respect for the player and his service to the program.

Coach K is regarded as one the finest to have ever graced the college circuit. He won five national titles during his 42 seasons at Duke before retiring in 2022.

NBA legend Shane Battier has been the director at Yext 2021

Former Duke star Shane Battier - Source: Imagn

Shane Battier has been serving as the director at Yext, an AI company based in New York, since June 2021. After joining the company, the NBA legend spoke about his decision to venture into business after his sports career.

“When you dive into the experience of the world of search, you go down some rabbit holes,” Battier told CNBC. “It’s really an amazing technology and opportunity to put my stamp on my first business experience.”

Battier played 14 years in the NBA, having stints with the Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat and Houston Rockets. He was part of the Heat team that won back-to-back NBA titles in 2012 and 2013.

Battier retired from professional basketball in 2014.