Chris Spatola, an ESPN college basketball analyst, Army veteran and former Duke staff member, died unexpectedly Monday, the network announced. He was 47.
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A cause of death was not disclosed.
ESPN remembered Spatola as a thoughtful and passionate broadcaster whose background as a college athlete, military officer and coach gave him a distinctive perspective.
"He was thoughtful, prepared and passionate about the sport," the network said in a statement.
Spatola joined ESPN in 2015 and worked as an analyst for college basketball games and studio programming.
Before entering broadcasting, he was a four-year starting guard at Army. Spatola led the Black Knights in scoring during three seasons and finished his career with 1,543 points, which ranks 10th in program history.
After graduating from West Point, Spatola served on active duty from 2002 through 2007. He deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and received the Joint Service Commendation Medal for exceptional combat performance. He was also awarded the Army Commendation Medal for outstanding leadership.
Spatola later joined the staff of his father-in-law, Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski, at Duke. He worked with the Blue Devils from 2007 through 2012, contributing to their 2010 national championship and four ACC tournament titles.
He also served as a court coach for the United States teams that won gold medals at the 2008 Olympics and 2010 FIBA World Championship.
Duke described Spatola as a devoted husband and father who served his country and remained an important part of the program's extended family.
Spatola and Krzyzewski's daughter, Jamie, had three children.
