The sun has yet to rise over Manhattan on a chilly fall morning when a former Knicks head coach strolls into a downtown cafe completely unrecognized. At 7:15, no line separates him from the awaiting barista. He orders a Venti, sugar-free, vanilla latte, per usual, seamlessly scanning the loyalty rewards app on his phone. “I don’t actually like coffee,” Mike D’Antoni swears. “But I’m addicted to Starbucks.”
“Oh, it’s everyday,” says Hornets head coach Steve Clifford, a Lakers assistant under D’Antoni during the 2012-13 season. “I don’t care home, road, no matter practice or game, if you went into his hotel room—whatever it was—he’s gonna find a Starbucks.