Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases, has been a regular on news outlets since the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fauci made an unusual stop on his media rounds, stepping away from the podium at White House briefings to speak with Duke men's basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski on his SiriusXM show, Basketball and Beyond with Coach K.
Fauci attended Holy Cross and Cornell University, but was a high school basketball player at Regis High in New York. These days, Fauci is known more for his knowledge of all things COVID-19 than his jump shot.
He spent a few minutes talking with the Hall of Fame coach about the pandemic.
Coach K opened the segment by thanking Fauci for "a lifetime of service to our country."
Since 1984, Fauci has served as the director of the NIAID. As a physician, Fauci has served in various roles. In the opening minutes of the show, Krzyzewski gave Fauci a new title, anointing him "America's point guard."
During most of President Donald Trump's press briefings, Fauci is usually at his side answering questions. He has been at the forefront of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fauci even had to beef up his security recently after receiving threats from the public. Almost daily his face is on a 24-hour news network, or his name is mentioned in an article about COVID-19.
He's in our homes so much through our television that it makes you wonder when, or if, Fauci gets any rest. And that was Krzyzewski's first question: "When do you sleep?"
"It's not easy, the whole country is being stressed," Fauci told Krzyzewski. "My job is very stressful. I've been going on three or four hours of sleep for a while, then I realized that I can't do that for an extended period of time."
Fauci told Krzyzewski that this is an "unprecedented challenge that we've never actually seen before."
"This is the real deal, Coach K," Fauci added.
Krzyzewski, the veteran coach he is, offered a scouting report on Fauci, calling him the most instinctive person in the country regarding infectious diseases. Krzyzewski then told Fauci that the more he speaks to the country, the more he gives us strength.
Going back to his point guard reference, Krzyzewski later asked Fauci where we are in terms of battling the COVID-19, if this were a basketball game.
"We are not yet at the point where we are turning the corner," Fauci said. "We have to play a full court press. We're not even at halftime. We're just fighting it out."
The full interview is available free to everyone on the SiriusXM app and SiriusXM.com.
Through May 15, SiriusXM is making its entire lineup of streaming content free.
