| Position | Center/Power forward |
|---|---|
| Height | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) |
| Weight | 245 lb (111 kg) |
| Nationality | USA |
| Born | August 17 1969  Angola, New York |
| College | Duke |
| Draft | 3rd overall, 1992 Minnesota Timberwolves |
| Pro career | 1992–2005 |
| Former teams | Minnesota Timberwolves 1992-96 Atlanta Hawks 1996-98 Detroit Pistons 1999-2000 Dallas Mavericks 2000-01 Washington Wizards 2001-04 Miami Heat 2004-05 |
| Awards | 1992 USBWA College Player of the Year John R. Wooden Award 1992 Naismith College Player of the Year 1992 |
| Olympic medal record | |||
| Men's Basketball | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | 1992 Barcelona | United States | |
Christian Donald Laettner (born August 17, 1969 in Angola, New York) is an American entrepreneur and former professional basketball player who played 13 seasons in the NBA on six different teams. He started for the 1991 and 1992 NCAA champion Duke University Blue Devils. He is considered one of the greatest collegiate players of all time.[1]
Contents |
College career
Laettner is especially known for his game-winning last-second jump shot in Duke's dramatic 104-103 victory over Kentucky in the East regional final of the 1992 NCAA Tournament, acclaimed by many as the "greatest college basketball game ever played."[2][3][4][5] Footage of Laettner's buzzer beater shot is frequently included in televised montages depicting college basketball and the NCAA tournament, and in 2003 it was used in a nationally televised commercial by Allstate. In the game as a whole, Laettner made ten of ten shots from the field and ten of ten from the free throw line. His performance in the game as a whole earned him a 1993 ESPY Award for "Outstanding Performance Under Pressure," and the shot in particular received the 1993 ESPY for "College Basketball Play of the Year." Laettner also received the 1993 ESPY for "Outstanding College Basketball Performer of the Year."[6] The shot was also named the most memorable basketball shot of all-time (including the NBA, college, and high school) by the Best Damn Sports Show Period in 2007[7] and the fifth most unforgettable sports moment of all-time across all sports in 2006.[8] Laettner also became known for another incident in the same Duke-Kentucky game. As Kentucky's Aminu Timberlake was lying on the floor after a foul, Laettner stomped on his chest.[9] Unhurt, Timberlake got up laughing and clapped, and Laettner was assessed a contact technical foul on the play,[10] but was not ejected.[11][12] Laettner later said "There was nothing vengeful in it. I had to put my foot down because I needed some balance. I didn't step hard. They (the Kentucky players) realized that. They didn't think it was a dirty play."[13] His number #32 jersey was retired in 1992, making him the sixth of eleven players so honored by Duke.[14] He averaged 16.6 points and 7.7 rebounds per game at Duke and is the all-time three-point shooting percentage leader at Duke with 48.5%. Laettner is also remembered for another famous buzzer beater, this one against UConn in the Elite Eight of the 1990 NCAA tournament. With Duke down one 78-77 with 2.4 seconds left, Laettner hit a long jump shot to give Duke a 79-78 victory. Duke would eventually become the runner up that year. Laettner is one of only four players (including teammates Greg Koubek and Brian Davis) to play in four consecutive Final Fours, and the only one to ever start in all four Final Fours. He owns the record for most tournament games played, which may never be beaten (to do so, someone would have to play in four straight Finals). NCAA Tournament Records Held:
- Most points scored: 407[15]
- Most free throws made: 142
- Most free throw attempts: 167
- Most games played: 23
He played for the US national team in the 1990 FIBA World Championship, winning the bronze medal.[16]
Dream Team (1992)
Laettner was the only college player on the original "Dream Team," which won the Olympic Gold medal in 1992 and is considered to be one of the greatest basketball teams ever assembled.[17]
Professional career
Laettner was drafted third overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves after Shaquille O'Neal (1st overall) and Alonzo Mourning (2nd overall) in the 1992 NBA Draft, all three of whom later played together on the 2005 Miami Heat. During his 13-year NBA career he was a member of the Timberwolves, the Atlanta Hawks, the Detroit Pistons, the Dallas Mavericks, Washington Wizards, Golden State Warriors (though he never played a game for them), and most recently the Miami Heat. He developed into a good NBA player at the center and forward positions, was voted into the all-rookie-team in 1993 and became an all-star in 1997. Yet he never became a superstar as some had expected – in stark contrast to the two centers drafted ahead of him in 1992. After missing most of the 1998-99 season due to an injury, his playing time and numbers declined. He finished his career in 2004-05 as a reserve with the Miami Heat.
Business and philanthropy
AP Sports released a DVD in 2004 [1], documenting Laettner demonstrating a variety of basketball drills, as well as discussing his basketball career. Laettner co-owns the community development company Blue Devil Ventures (BDV) with former Duke teammate Brian Davis and Duke alumnus Tom Niemann. Since 1995, BDV has been developing a community in downtown Durham, North Carolina named "West Village." BDV's website describes West Village as a "mixed-use, upscale community consisting of the adaptive-reuse of historic tobacco warehouses built between 1899 and 1926 and located in the Brightleaf District."[18] In 2001, Laettner donated $1 million to his high school, Nichols School in Buffalo, New York to create a scholarship fund for students in financial need and to aid in the completion of a new gymnasium. [19] In 2005, Laettner and Davis donated $2 million to Duke's men's basketball program to endow an athletic scholarship and support the construction of a planned athletics center and basketball practice facility.[20] Their donation to the Duke Legacy Fund — which seeks to make the Duke basketball program financially self-sufficient — represents the largest donation by former Duke basketball players to the program since Grant Hill endowed a $1 million scholarship in 2000. In October 2006, an investment group including Laettner and former teammate Brian Davis had agreed to purchase the 70% share of the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies from current majority owner, Michael Heisley. Laettner considered coming out of retirement to play with the team,[21] but the purchase fell through when Davis and Laettner couldn’t come up with the $252 million needed to purchase Heisley’s controlling share.[22] Laettner and Davis (as minority owners) were successful in their bid to purchase operating rights for Major League Soccer's D.C. United[23][22]. Laettner previously joined Jason Kidd and other investors in the purchase of a AAA baseball team in Phoenix.[24]
References
- ^ http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/basketball/ncaa/specials/ncaa_tourney/2005/03/31/greatest.player.laettner/index.html
- ^ http://espn.go.com/ncb/columns/forde_pat/1297334.html
- ^ http://msn.foxsports.com/olympics/story/5796002
- ^ http://www.enquirer.com/editions/1998/03/22/spt_laettner.html
- ^ http://www.bigbluehistory.net/bb/Statistics/Games/19920328Duke.html
- ^ http://espn.go.com/espy2002/s/pastwinners.html
- ^ Best Damn Sports Show Period. Aired March 14, 2007.
- ^ http://msn.foxsports.com/other/story/5816314
- ^ To Ban Laettner, or Not, published March 30, 1992
- ^ Doyel Baits K, by DBR, March 6th, 2007
- ^ Sellers Drops His Suit Against N.C.A.A., published June 25, 1992
- ^ http://www.bigbluehistory.net/bb/Statistics/Games/19920328Duke.html
- ^ Juliano, Joe, "Duke's Magician Saved his Best for the Finish", Philadelphia Inquirer, published March 29, 1992.
- ^ http://www.dukeupdate.com/Records/legends.htm
- ^ WashingtonWizards.com Mailbox: Christian Laettner
- ^ 1990 USA Basketball
- ^ http://www.nba.com/history/dreamT_moments.html
- ^ http://www.bluedevilventures.com/westvillage.html
- ^ http://www.nba.com/playerfile/christian_laettner/bio.html
- ^ http://dukenews.duke.edu/2005/07/laettnerdavis.html
- ^ http://sportsline.com/nba/story/9703248
- ^ a b Owner sets May 1 deadline to take team off market. Retrieved on 28 April, 2007.
- ^ http://www.commercialappeal.com/mca/grizzlies/article/0,1426,MCA_475_5051540,00.html
- ^ http://www.nba.com/playerfile/christian_laettner/bio.html
External links
- Christian Laettner NBA.com playerfile
- The Sporting News with a March, 1997 interview of a 27 year-old Atlanta Hawks Laettner
- Christian Laettner Statistics at Basketball-Reference.com
- 1992 Oscar Robertson Trophy
 |
United States squad - 1990 FIBA World Championship - Bronze medal | |
|---|---|---|
|
4 D.Smith | 5 Randell | 6 Mayberry | 7 Williams | 8 C.Smith | 9 Anderson | 10 Stith | 11 Day | 12 Gatling | 13 Laettner | 14 Owens | 15 Mourning | Coach: Krzyzewski |
||
 1992 Olympic Champions Men's Basketball– "Dream Team" |
|---|
| Charles Barkley | Larry Bird | Clyde Drexler | Patrick Ewing | Magic Johnson | Michael Jordan | Christian Laettner | Karl Malone | Chris Mullin | Scottie Pippen | David Robinson | John Stockton | Coach: Chuck Daly |
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Anderson Hunt |
NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player (men's) 1991 |
Succeeded by Bobby Hurley |
| Preceded by Clarkston Hines |
ACC Male Athlete of the Year 1991–1992 |
Succeeded by Charlie Ward |
| Preceded by Larry Johnson |
Naismith College Player of the Year (men) 1992 |
Succeeded by Calbert Cheaney |
| Preceded by Larry Johnson |
John R. Wooden Award (men) 1992 |
Succeeded by Calbert Cheaney |
|
|
|---|
| 5 Billy McCaffrey | 11 Bobby Hurley | 21 Antonio Lang | 22 Greg Koubek | 23 Brian Davis | 25 Thomas Hill | 32 Christian Laettner | 33 Grant Hill | 34 Crawford Palmer Coach Mike Krzyzewski |
|
|
|---|
| 3 Marty Clark | 11 Bobby Hurley | 21 Antonio Lang | 23 Brian Davis | 25 Thomas Hill | 32 Christian Laettner | 33 Grant Hill | 44 Cherokee Parks | 52 Eric Meek Coach Mike Krzyzewski |
