WATCH: Duke great Jay Williams calls out team over handshake line controversy
After Duke lost in the Final Four against North Carolina, ending Mike Krzyzewski’s Hall of Fame career with a rivalry loss, multiple Duke players were seen walking off the floor without shaking hands at midcourt. This drew widespread criticism, particularly after their coach can out in support of handshake lines earlier this season after the incident between Juwan Howard and Greg Gard.
Duke legend and ESPN analyst Jay Williams posted a video on Twitter calling out the Duke players who did not shake hands with North Carolina following the game.
“This has been one of those long days, I lost my voice – I sound like Doc Rivers out here – and just got back to the crib,” said Williams in the video. “Y’all I’m not wearing a bib on tv. Thank God Vince Carter didn’t take the bet, thank God. I don’t know what to do now, do I root for Carolina? They do represent the ACC, but they then also ended my coach’s career. Should I rock with the Jayhawks – can you root for your rival? Even though they represent the conference in the championship game.
“Should I be classy? It would’ve been classy if everybody shook hands after the game. That’s another subject. But I don’t know what to do. … I’m confused… I’m stressed, tomorrow’s going to suck. I’m never going to hear the end of this.”
Williams played three seasons under Krzyzewski, winning a national championship in 2001. As a three-year starter, he averaged 19.3 points and 6.0 assists before heading to the NBA.
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Duke players skip handshake line
North Carolina and Duke played an instant classic in the Final Four on Saturday night. But after the game, Blue Devils players became a hot topic on social media.
After the game, the players appeared to walk off the court straight to the locker room without shaking hands. Coach Mike Krzyzewski, who saw his career come to an end with the loss, went through the line, but many of the players instead went straight back. Among the players who did remain on the court, Wendell Moore was shown on-screen behind his coach in line.
With the win, North Carolina punched its ticket to the first time since winning it all in 2017. The Tar Heels have a date with Kansas on Monday in the national championship in New Orleans. For Krzyzewski, it’s the end of a nearly 50-year career — including 42 years at Duke — that featured five national championships and the most wins in NCAA history.