Mike Krzyzewski Pays Tribute to Friend Jim Valvano in Touching Video

Although North Carolina State's Jim Valvano and Duke's Mike Krzyzewski found themselves on opposite sides of a Tobacco Road rivalry in the 1980s, the two coaches knew that, at the end of the day, basketball was just a game.

And that led to a friendship off the court.

Valvano, aka Jimmy V, will always be best remembered for his powerful speech at the 1993 ESPYs. On top of that, what the late Wolfpack coach told the Blue Devils coach as his life wound down was just as memorable:

"I'm gonna die. I know I'm gonna die. But I'm gonna win."

Though he had accepted the reality of his situation, Valvano stayed positive as he looked to the future. He wanted to make sure the fight against cancer would not be given up on with his death—so he created The V Foundation for Cancer Research.

It's been more than two decades since Valvano's death, but his words still stay with Coach K. Most importantly, as the years have passed, The V Foundation has only gotten bigger and bigger, and hopefully one day Valvano will get his wish.

[Dear World]