CHICAGO — One of the best coaches in the history of NCAA basketball is taking a new role in the professional game – and his first act in that position will be in his hometown.

Chicago native and legendary Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski is joining the National Basketball Association as a special adviser to basketball operations, the league announced on Wednesday.

In the new role, the Basketball Hall of Famer will give advice to the league office on a host of issues related to the game. His first duty will be in Chicago when he attends a meeting of NBA general managers next week.

“This is a tremendous opportunity to deepen my connection to the NBA and participate in conversations about further strengthening the league and the game,” said Krzyzewski in a statement released by the NBA. “Even in my retirement from coaching, my passion for the sport has never been higher.  This role will enable me to stay engaged with basketball at the highest level.”

Born in Chicago on February 13, 1947, Krzyzewski grew up in the city’s Ukrainian Village neighborhood. He went to Archbishop Weber High School, which was an all-male college prep school that was closed in 1999.

Krzyzewski then attended the United States Military Academy where he played under head coach Bobby Knight. After his required military service, he served as an assistant under Knight at Indiana for the 1974-1975 season before taking the head coaching job at Army, which he held for five seasons.

In 1980, he started a memorable 42-year run at Duke where he had one of the greatest tenures for a coach in the history of college basketball. Krzyzewski finished 1,129-309 with the Blue Devils, making 13 Final Fours and winning five national championships. He won the Naismith College Coach of the Year three times and ACC Coach of the Year five times.

Internationally, Krzyzewski was the head coach of the United States Men’s Olympic team for runs to the gold medal in 2008, 2012, and 2016.

In 2001, Krzyzewski was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame and received the same honor from the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.