SI has rounded up every time Duke men’s basketball was prominently featured on the cover under Krzyzewski—including after all five of his national championships, the first of which came in 1991 and most recent of which came in 2015. How many covers do you own?
March 17, 1986
Manny Millan/Sports Illustrated
Duke’s first cover under Coach K came ahead of the 1986 NCAA tournament. The Blue Devils were the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region, and SI hailed them as “the team to beat.”
March 31, 1986
John Iacono/Sports Illustrated, Jerry Wachter/Sports Illustrated, John W. McDonough/Sports Illustrated, David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated
Duke advanced to that tournament’s final weekend, along with Louisville, Kansas and LSU. After beating the Jayhawks and playing for the title, the Blue Devils came up short in a three-point loss to the Cardinals.
April 18, 1991
Five years later, Duke would get the job done. Led by Christian Laettner, Krzyzewski’s team pulled off a stunning upset of unbeaten UNLV in the Final Four and then downed Kansas for Coach K and the program’s first national championship. The team included a freshman Grant Hill (pictured).
Nov. 25, 1991
Peter Read Miller/Sports Illustrated
After their national title, all eyes were on Laettner and Duke to open another college basketball season. Could they make it two in a row?
April 13, 1992
Manny Millan/Sports Illustrated
The Blue Devils indeed went back-to-back, becoming the first men’s program to do such a feat in 19 years. After Laettner’s famous shot sunk Kentucky in the Elite Eight, Duke beat Indiana and Michigan to seal another championship.
Nov. 17, 1997
Theo Westenberger/Sports Illustrated
Five years later, expectations were high again for Duke, with Steve Wojciechowski gracing the cover of this season preview issue. That team would go on to earn a No. 1 seed in the Big Dance, where it lost to Kentucky in the Elite Eight.
Feb. 22, 1999
Manny Millan/Sports Illustrated
Elton Brand was on the cover as SI embraced the return of “the kind of swagger exhibited by Mike Krzyzewski’s title teams.” Duke went on to be the No. 1 overall seed that year and reached the national championship game before falling to UConn.
Nov. 20, 2000
Moshe Brakha/Sports Illustrated
This college hoops preview issue cover called Shane Battier “the players’ player” after the magazine polled his peers to get their preseason pick for Player of the Year.
March 19, 2001
Bob Rosato/Sports Illustrated
Another March Madness was underway, and ACC foes Duke and Maryland graced the cover fighting for a rebound as SI called toughness “the key to survival” in the NCAA tournament.
April 2, 2001
John Biever/Sports Illustrated, John W. McDonough/Sports Illustrated, Manny Millan/Sports Illustrated, Bob Rosato/Sports Illustrated
Not even two weeks later, the Blue Devils and Terrapins were on the cover again, this time sharing the spotlight with fellow Final Four teams Arizona and Michigan State.
April 9, 2001
John W. McDonough/Sports Illustrated
In the end, it was Coach K and Duke who took home the crown, sealing things with a 10-point win over Arizona to win the program’s third national title. The cover showed the championship embrace of Battier and Mike Dunleavy Jr.
March 18, 2002
Al Tielemans/Sports Illustrated
In a regional version of SI’s 2002 men’s NCAA tournament preview cover, Jason Williams represented the Blue Devils. But No. 1 seed Duke would be stopped short in the Sweet 16 by Indiana.
Nov. 21, 2005
Bill Frakes /Sports Illustrated
Can anyone stop Duke? asked this SI cover as the 2005–06 college hoops season got underway. With a heralded freshman class on board, the Blue Devils were our men’s preseason No. 1.
March 6, 2006
Rich Frishman/Sports Illustrated, Jeffery A. Salter/Sports Illustrated
Gonzaga’s Adam Morrison and Duke’s JJ Redick were the talk of that ’05–06 season, and the talented duo appeared on the cover together as SI asked, “Who’s the best?” It was Redick, though, who wound up winning the Wooden and Naismith postseason awards.
March 9, 2009
Composite photo illustration by SI Imaging
Flash forward three years, and Duke was one of eight teams SI picked to reach the Elite Eight ahead of the 2009 NCAA tournament. Alas, the No. 2 seed Blue Devils fell in the Sweet 16, then watched rival North Carolina take home the crown.
April 12, 2010
John Biever/Sports Illustrated
Any Duke sadness about 2009 wouldn’t linger long, as the Blue Devils came right back and captured the ’10 national championship with a 35–5 season. The title game didn’t end without drama, as Gordon Hayward’s half-court heave as time expired narrowly clanged off the rim.
Nov. 22, 2010
Bob Rosato/Sports Illustrated
Duke was back atop of SI’s preseason top 20 to open the 2010–11 season, with senior guard Nolan Smith being featured on the cover as the team looked for another title.
March 21, 2011
Bob Rosato/Sports Illustrated, Photo Composition by SI Imaging
Smith would appear on the cover for a second time that season in March, his face plastered over SI’s annual March Madness preview issue and dozens of other figures from that 2011 tournament. Duke, though, was unable to pull off a repeat, getting upset by Arizona in the Sweet 16.
Dec. 12, 2011
Simon Bruty/Sports Illustrated
Krzyzewski’s first big SI cover moment came when he was co-named Sportsperson of the Year with Tennessee coach Pat Summitt. At the time, the pair were Division I basketball’s two winningest coaches—Coach K is No. 1 on the list today.
Nov. 18, 2013
Simon Bruty/Sports Illustrated
This college hoops preview issue that highlighted March rivals couldn’t go without a regional cover featuring Duke and UNC. James Michael McAdoo and Jabari Parker shared the space to represent their teams.
Feb. 24, 2014
Al Tielemans/Sports Illustrated
Not even three years later after winning Sportsperson, Coach K would make the SI cover again, this time alongside freshman phenom Jabari Parker. SI writer Jeff Benedict chronicled an intimate look at Parker’s journey to becoming the nation’s top talent.
Nov. 10, 2014
Al Tielemans/Sports Illustrated
Another year, another star freshman on the Blue Devils. This time, it was Jahlil Okafor headlining one of SI’s four regional covers previewing the 2014–15 college basketball season.
April 13, 2015
Greg Nelson/Sports Illustrated
Duke was back atop the sport in 2015, as Krzyzewski rode three freshmen (including Final Four Most Outstanding Player Tyus Jones, pictured here) to his and the program’s fifth national championship. The Blue Devils downed a veteran Wisconsin team in the title game to cement the achievement.
November 2018
Jeffery A. Salter/Sports Illustrated
The Red Sox’ World Series victory bumped this cover to a special digital version, but that didn’t stop the extreme hype for Duke’s Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett and Cam Reddish–led freshman class.
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