Duke Offers Once-In-Lifetime Experience to Help With COVID Relief

High bidder will get access to practice, team meal, for UNC game

Duke Basketball has partnered with the ALL IN Challenge to help raise money for those in need.

The Blue Devils are offering a once-in-a-lifetime Duke Basketball experience, which is being auctioned off this week, with proceeds to benefit ALL IN.

The ALL IN Challenge aims to be the world's largest digital fundraiser in history by raising tens of millions of dollars to feed those in need. Food insecurity is a mounting issue, but never more important than during COVID-19 and the unprecedented shortage of food resources our nation is facing. Among those most in need: students who rely on currently closed schools for several of their meals each week; the newly unemployed who are facing uncertain circumstances; and a vulnerable elderly population sequestered in their homes without access to food.

The once-in-a-lifetime package will surround Duke’s annual home game against arch rival UNC. The high bidder will get two lower level seats for the game in Cameron Indoor Stadium behind Duke’s bench.

“I might even let you call our first play,” Coach Mike Krzyzewski said in a video on the ALL IN auction site. After a pause, he added, “Uh, no. Just kidding. I won’t do that.”

They’ll also get to attend practice the day before the game and the game day morning shootaround. They’ll also get to have photos taken with Krzyzewski and get a private tour of the basketball facilities and campus, riding on the team’s official golf cart.

The winner will also film a “94 Feet with Jay Bilas” segment. The interview series with the former Blue Devil player and assistant is a fixture of ESPN’s college basketball broadcasts. The winner’s segment will then be aired on Duke’s social media channels.

The high-bidder will get to play a game of HORSE on the Cameron Indoor court with associate head coach Jon Scheyer. “And maybe even Nolan Smith,” Coach K added.

The winner also gets to meet with the Cameron Crazies the night before the game and attend the team meal in the family lounge.

Finally, the package includes an autographed basketball from Coach K.

The once-in-a-lifetime package began with a minimum bid of $5,000. By Monday afternoon, with over four days of bidding remaining, it was already up to $34,000.

The All In Challenge began in April 2020 and thus far has raised over $42 million, with the goal of raising over $100 million to tackle this problem head-on.

“We’re all in to help reach the $100 million goal in support of great causes that will assist those most heavily impacted by COVID-19,” Coach K said.