Feinstein was a close friend of legendary Duke men's basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski and spoke with The Chronicle last October about their relationship. He wrote his last book, “Five Banners,” about the five national championships that Krzyzewski won for Duke, providing an inside look at each tournament victory.

Feinstein was 30 when he penned 'A Season on the Brink,' a 1986 portrait of Bob Knight and the Indiana Hoosiers.

John Feinstein, a Duke graduate who became a celebrated author and one of the essential chroniclers of ACC and college basketball history, died Thursday at 69, his brother confirmed to the Washington Post, his longtime employer.