Chris Spatola Dies at 47: Who Was the ESPN Basketball Analyst? - Tempo.co English

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Chris Spatola, an ESPN college basketball analyst and former Army starting guard, died unexpectedly on Monday at age 47. Spatola joined the network in 2015, providing analysis for game broadcasts and studio programs.

According to ESPN, Spatola built a distinguished basketball career at West Point, where he was a four-year starter for Army. He led the team in scoring for three seasons and finished 10th on Army’s all-time career scoring list with 1,543 points.

After graduating, Spatola served on active duty in the U.S. Army from 2002 to 2007 and deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He received the Joint Service Commendation Medal for combat performance and the Army Commendation Medal for leadership.

Spatola later joined Duke’s coaching staff, working under his father-in-law, Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski, from 2007 to 2012. During his time with the Blue Devils, he helped the team win the 2010 national championship and four ACC tournament titles. He also served as a court coach for U.S. teams that won gold medals at the 2008 Olympics and 2010 FIBA World Championship.

ESPN described Spatola as a thoughtful and passionate broadcaster whose perspective was shaped by his experiences as a student-athlete, Army veteran, coach and broadcaster. Duke also mourned his death, describing him as a devoted husband and father. Spatola and his wife Jamie Krzyzewski had three children.

The cause of Chris Spatola's death was not listed. Citing USA Today, Duke's statement only said that he "passed away unexpectedly."