13) Johnny Dawkins

Though former player Jon Scheyer has been tapped to replace Coach K in ’22-’23, it’s Dawkins who is arguably his most apt acolyte. After serving as an assistant at Duke for over a decade, Dawkins spent eight seasons as the head coach at Stanford and now six seasons and counting with Central Florida. Though his time at the helm with those programs has been mixed, Dawkins was reportedly Krzyzewski’s top choice to replace him thanks to his leadership, temperament, and recruiting skills. These were all honed as Duke’s starting point guard, cresting in his senior season, ’85-’86, with a Naismith Award and Coach K’s Final Four debut. Drafted #10 overall by the Spurs, Dawkins never developed into an All-Star level player but had a solid first six seasons, averaging 13.1 points and 6.3 assists per game for San Antonio and Philadelphia. His career peak came in ’89-’90, when he was third in scoring and first in assists on the Sixers team that reached the Conference Semifinals.

12) Gene Banks

Already a senior when Krzyzewski took over as coach in ’80-’81, Banks was a surprise holdover recruit of a previously middling Duke program. A high school phenom in his native Philadelphia, he was the first prep All-American to attend Duke, spurning scholarship offers from numerous other top programs, including nearby Villanova. Nicknamed “Tinkerbell” due to his aerial acrobatics, Banks became a solid scorer for the Spurs, peaking in ’82-’83 with 14.9 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. Playing in the starting lineup with George Gervin, Larry Kenon, and Artis Gilmore, he was part of the San Antonio teams that made back-to-back Conference Finals in 1982 and 1983 and ultimately lasted six solid if unspectacular seasons in the NBA before rupturing his Achilles tendon.

11) Mike Dunleavy Jr.

Part of a long line of players that seemed to perfectly encapsulate the Coach K Duke ideal, Dunleavy was a white, fundamentally sound coach’s son who hit the Durham campus in 1999. He was a difference maker as a sophomore in their ’00-’01 championship run, contributing a team high 21 points in the National Final win over Arizona. After his junior season, Dunleavy declared early for the NBA Draft and was a surprise pick at #3 overall by the Warriors. Though he never lived up to the expectations of a pick that high, Dunleavy had a solid 15-year NBA career. He averaged 10+ points per game for 11 consecutive seasons starting in ’03-’04, while playing for mostly bad teams in Golden State, Indiana, Milwaukee, and Chicago. In fact, Dunleavy reached the postseason just five times in 15 seasons, and as far as the Conference Semifinals only once, in 2015 with the Bulls. Only J.J. Redick and Kyrie Irving have totaled more career NBA three-point field goals amongst former Duke players than Dunleavy’s 1,304.

10) Shane Battier

One of the most well-rounded players in Duke history, Battier did a little bit of everything on the floor and earned essentially every individual accolade possible while leading the Blue Devils to the ’00-’01 national championship. At the NBA level, he focused on his elite defensive skills, fashioning himself into one of the premier perimeter defenders of the ’00s. In fact, journalist Michael Lewis labeled Battier as the “No Stats All-Star” in a feature article on his defensive aptitude in the New York Times in 2009, when he peaked as a “Kobe stopper” for the Rockets. Though his career averages were just 8.6 points and 4.2 rebounds per game, Battier lasted 13 seasons in the NBA, eventually winning championships with the Heat in 2012 and 2013. His defense was not only spectacular, it was also innovative, as he was one of the first NBA players to make use of advanced statistics and data tracking to inform his on-court strategy.

9) J.J. Redick

Still the all-time leading scorer in Duke history, Redick also set the ACC career scoring mark (though he’s now second on that list behind Tyler Hansbrough). Redick was ACC Player of the Year twice, 1st-Team All-American twice, and winner of the Naismith Award in ’05-’06. As the marquee Duke player during arguably the height of backlash against the program, he was also a lightning rod for scorn, invective, and “overrated” labeling. Then, he somehow became a solid NBA player, entering the league in ’06-’07 as the #11 pick of the Magic and developing into not just one of its best outside shooters, but also a solid play maker and apt defender. As of the conclusion of the ’20-’21 season, Redick is 15th in NBA history in career three-point field goals, and 17th in three-point field goal percentage, a category in which he led the league in ’15-’16. He’s also ninth in NBA history in career free throw percentage, at 89.2%. In Redick’s first 14 seasons, his team made the playoffs every year, including an NBA Finals trip with the Magic in 2009.

8) Jayson Tatum

He just turned 24 years old but Tatum has already established himself in four full seasons as one of the 10 greatest players to matriculate at Duke under Coach K. His time in Durham was brief, playing just one season which ended with a second round NCAA Tournament upset loss to South Carolina, before becoming the 10th one-and-done of the Krzyzewski era. Drafted third overall by the Celtics, Tatum was a starting forward from day one and made an instant impact, leading Boston in playoff scoring as a rookie and carrying them to the brink of the NBA Finals even after an injury to his fellow former Blue Devil, Kyrie Irving. In fact, Tatum’s 437 total points in that 2018 postseason is the third highest all-time amongst former Duke players, trailing only Irving’s 2016 and 2017 performances. Tatum has since further developed into one of the biggest stars in the NBA, averaging career highs in scoring (26.4 points per game), rebounding (7.4 per game), and assists (4.3 per game) in ’20-’21, while being named to his second All-Star Game and his first All-NBA team.

7) Corey Maggette

Leaving Duke early to declare for the NBA Draft was rare enough even in the late ’90s, let alone ditching campus after just one season. That’s what Maggette did in 1999, becoming the first one-and-done under Coach Krzyzewski, despite averaging just 10.6 points per game at Duke as a backup forward. Granted, that was on a stacked Blue Devils team, which reached the National Final and was led by three other NBA Draft lottery picks in Elton Brand, Trajan Langdon, and William Avery. Maggette was the third Duke player off the board that year, going to the SuperSonics at #13 but then getting traded to Orlando. He eventually settled in with the Clippers, averaging 19.5 points and 5.7 rebounds per game over a six-year prime with the team that started in ’03-’04. Maggette also struggled throughout his career with injuries and clashes with coaches but ultimately racked up over 13,000 career points in 14 seasons, though only one playoff appearance, with the Clippers in 2006. His 22.1 points per game in ’07-’08 was, at the time, the third highest scoring NBA season by a Coach K player ever (it’s since fallen to 17th). Early in his pro career, Maggette admitted to taking money as a high schooler from his AAU coach but the Duke program was investigated and found to be unaware and faced no punishment for it.

“In his first 25 years at Duke, Mike Krzyzewski’s top rated recruit wasn’t Christian Laettner, Grant Hill, Elton Brand, or Carlos Boozer. Nope, it was [Luol] Deng, who attended Blair High School in New Jersey after being born in war-torn Sudan and later raised in Egypt, where he learned basketball skills from Manute Bol.”

6) Christian Laettner

Typically labeled as one of the ultimate NBA busts, Laettner actually had a solid career over 13 seasons. Sure, it didn’t come close to matching his NCAA accomplishments, where the Duke superstar was a consensus National Player of the Year, an All-American twice, and a Final Four participant in all four years he played, including winning back-to-back championships in 1991 and 1992. A third overall pick of the Timberwolves, Laettner was 1st-Team All-Rookie and consistently solid in his first five seasons, averaging 17.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game over that span. When the Timberwolves drafted Kevin Garnett in 1995, Laettner was soon after traded to Atlanta and made his only All-Star appearance in 1997, representing the Hawks. As opposed to his amateur postseason success (he was additionally an Olympic gold medalist with the 1992 U.S. Dream team), Laettner never played for an NBA champ, in fact only reaching as far as the Conference Finals once, in 2005 with the Heat. Inducted into the Naismith and FIBA Halls of Fame as a member of the Dream Team, Laettner also resides along Coach K in the Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame. 

5) Luol Deng

In his first 25 years at Duke, Mike Krzyzewski’s top rated recruit wasn’t Christian Laettner, Grant Hill, Elton Brand, or Carlos Boozer. Nope, it was Deng, who attended Blair High School in New Jersey after being born in war-torn Sudan and later raised in Egypt, where he learned basketball skills from Manute Bol. LeBron James was the only player ranked higher in the 2003 prep class than Deng, who also considered making the jump directly to the NBA before ultimately opting to attend Duke. After just one season, which ended with a Final Four berth, he made the transition to the pros, getting drafted seventh overall by the Bulls. A well-rounded though injury prone player, Deng was the starting small forward for Chicago for nine solid seasons, averaging 16.0 points and 6.4 rebounds per game in that time, and getting named to All-Star teams in 2012 and 2013. He’s the fifth all-time leading NBA scorer amongst Duke players, and is in the top 10 in rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks.

4) Elton Brand

Part of the most hyped Duke recruiting class of all-time until 2018 surpassed it, Brand matriculated under Coach K in 1997 alongside Shane Battier and William Avery. A skilled scorer and rebounder with a “nasty” streak (as Sports Illustrated put it), Brand was one of the greatest players in Duke history despite lasting just two years on campus. He was the #1 pick of the Bulls in the 1999 NBA Draft and immediately the future of a franchise struggling to rebuild in the wake of Michael Jordan’s retirement. Brand was Rookie of the Year in ’99-’00, was shockingly traded to the Clippers after just two seasons, and somehow seemed to defy the dreaded “Clippers Curse.” Over his first eight seasons, Brand averaged 20.3 points and 10.2 rebounds per game, establishing himself as one of the best power forwards in the NBA. He led the Clippers to their first playoff series win in over 30 years in 2007 and was named an All-Star twice. Injuries started to affect him in ’07-’08, when he ruptured his Achilles’ tendon, and later stops with the 76ers, Mavericks, and Hawks were unsuccessful. Brand is the all-time NBA career rebound, blocks, and win shares leader amongst Duke players, and is second all-time in scoring, third in steals, and eighth in assists.

3) Carlos Boozer

Though Durham, North Carolina was over 3,500 miles away from his hometown of Juneau, Alaska, Boozer was recruited by Coach K to play for Duke starting in 1999, part of the freshman class with Jay Williams and Mike Dunleavy. Boozer was third in scoring and second in rebounding on the ’00-’01 Blue Devils that won the national title, then left school after his junior season but fell to the second round of the NBA Draft as teams were worried about his size, shooting mechanics, and dedication. He eventually proved his doubters wrong, developing into an All-Star player by his fifth season, when he also led the Jazz to a surprise Conference Finals appearance. His pro career was not without controversy though, especially when he reneged on a handshake deal with the Cavaliers to sign a free agent contract with Utah. Boozer was consistently one of the best rebounders in the NBA, averaging 10+ per game five times, and is second in NBA history in total rebounds amongst Duke players, trailing only Elton Brand. Now a studio analyst for the ACC Network, Boozer completed his degree in sociology at Duke during the pandemic.

2) Kyrie Irving

Final Four appearances (12) and national championships (five) are a regular occurrence under Coach K at Duke, but Irving is one of just two players on this list to win an NBA championship. That’s one of numerous reasons he’s rocketed up these standings and will likely eventually go down as the consensus greatest NBA player all-time from Duke. Irving is also tied with Grant Hill for most All-Star appearances by a Blue Devil, with seven, has already climbed to fourth all-time in points and second in assists amongst Duke players, and his 26.9 points per game for the Nets in ’20-’21 is the Duke player single season record. Similar to his pro career, Irving’s brief time at Duke was marked by injury, as he missed 26 games with a toe tear. Despite the injury concerns, he became the second player in Coach K’s tenure to be drafted first overall, following Elton Brand. Irving’s championship came with the Cavaliers in 2016, when he set the record for postseason win shares by a Duke player.

1) Grant Hill

With a disappointing second round exit in the 1993 NCAA Tournament followed by the graduation of Bobby Hurley, Mike Krzyzewski and Duke entered the ’93-’94 season with some trepidation about the program’s future. Their senior star Hill laid those concerns to rest, being named 1st-Team All-American while leading Duke back to the Final Four. He then entered the NBA as the third overall pick in 1994 with heavy expectations, as the league was searching for marketable, talented young stars in the wake of Michael Jordan’s initial retirement. Things went according to plan for a while, with Hill becoming the first Duke player to earn Rookie of the Year in ’94-’95, and making the first five All-Star Games he was eligible for (the game was cancelled in ’98-’99), while averaging 21.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game in his first six seasons. He then signed a huge free agency contract with the Magic in 2000 and soon after suffered an ankle injury that would define the rest of his prime, as he played just 47 games over the next four seasons. Hill eventually revived his career later on as a defensive and shooting specialist, putting in a solid stint with the Steve Nash-led Suns. He is the all-time Duke NBA leader in points, assists, and steals, and is second in win shares, fourth in rebounds, and fifth in blocks. His status as the all-time greatest NBA player from Duke looks at risk thanks to Kyrie Irving, Jayson Tatum, and Zion Williamson, but will stand for at least the near future, in the immediate wake of Coach K’s retirement.