Former Duke basketball assistant, ESPN analyst dies at 47

Former Duke basketball assistant coach and ESPN analyst Chris Spatola died Monday, ESPN announced . He was 47. Spatola, a former basketball star at Army, coached at Duke from 2007 to 2012 under his father-in-law Mike Krzyzewski. He was on staff when the Blue Devils won the national championship in 2010.

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Scoop News DeskNewark, New Jersey area (publisher market; exact incident location not stated) · Published Wednesday, September 23, 2026 at 10:00 AM UTCUpdated Wednesday, September 23, 2026 at 10:32 AM UTC

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Spatola joined ESPN as a college basketball analyst in 2015, covering games and working in studio. “Chris Spatola brought a unique perspective to ESPN’s college basketball coverage, shaped by his experiences as a student-athlete, Army veteran, coach and broadcaster,” ESPN said in a statement. “He was thoughtful, prepared and passionate about the sport, earning the respect of colleagues, coaches, players and fans alike.

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