Christian Laettner
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 17, 1969 Angola, New York |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) |
| Listed weight | 245 lb (111 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Duke |
| NBA draft | 1992: 3rd overall |
| Selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves | |
| Playing career | 1992–2005 |
| Position | Center/Power forward |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| 1992 USBWA College Player of the Year John R. Wooden Award 1992 Naismith College Player of the Year 1992 | |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's Basketball | ||
Representing  United States
| ||
| Olympic Games | ||
 |
1992 Barcelona | National team |
| World Championship | ||
 |
1990 Argentina | National team |
Christian Donald Laettner (born August 17, 1969 in Angola, New York) is a retired American professional basketball player and entrepreneur who played 13 seasons in the NBA. He starred for the 1991 and 1992 NCAA champion Duke University Blue Devils. He is considered one of the greatest collegiate players of all time.[1] He is an honorary member of the Harvard Lampoon.
College career
Laettner's #32 jersey was retired in 1993, making him the sixth of thirteen players so honored by Duke.[2] 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 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, with 23, which may never be beaten (to do so, someone would have to play on a team that advances all the way to the National Championship Game in all four years).
NCAA Tournament Records Held:
- Most points scored: 407[3]
- 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.[4]
1992 East regional final game
Laettner is especially known for his game-winning last-second jump shot on March 28 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." 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."[5] 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[6] and the fifth most unforgettable sports moment of all-time across all sports in 2006.[7]
Earlier in the game, as Kentucky's Aminu Timberlake was lying on the floor after a foul, Laettner stomped on his chest.[8] Unhurt, Timberlake got up laughing and clapped, and Laettner was assessed a contact technical foul on the play,[9] but was not ejected.[10][11] 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."[12]
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 the greatest basketball team ever assembled.[13]
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 2004-05 Miami Heat. During his 13-year NBA journeyman career Laettner 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 the Miami Heat. While Laettner never became the superstar some expected, he was voted onto the All-Rookie First Team in 1992-93 and was an All-Star reserve in 1996-97. After missing most of the 1998-99 season due to a torn achilles tendon, his playing time and numbers declined. Laettner was suspended five games without pay in 2003-04 after violating the NBA's anti-drug policy.[14] He finished his career in 2004-05 as a reserve with the Miami Heat. He finished his career with averages of 13.3 points a game, 6.9 rebounds, and 2.7 assists. He shot 47.8% from the floor and 82.1% from the free throw line.
Business and philanthropy
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."[15]
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.[16] 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.[17] 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,[18] but the purchase fell through when Davis and Laettner couldn’t come up with the $252 million needed to purchase Heisley’s controlling share.[19] Laettner and Davis (as minority owners) were successful in their bid to purchase operating rights for Major League Soccer's D.C. United[20][19]. Laettner previously joined Jason Kidd and other investors in the purchase of a AAA baseball team in Phoenix.[16]
References
- ^ SI.com - 2005 NCAA Basketball Tournament - Wahl: Laettner had perfect timing on the postseason stage - Thursday March 31, 2005 1:15PM.
- ^ Duke Legends
- ^ WashingtonWizards.com Mailbox: Christian Laettner
- ^ 1990 USA Basketball
- ^ The 2002 ESPY Awards - ESPY Awards past winners
- ^ The Best Damn Sports Show Period - aired March 14, 2007.
- ^ FOX Sports on MSN - Television - Best Damn's Top 50 Unforgettable Sports Moments
- ^ 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
- ^ Kentucky vs. Duke (March 28, 1992)
- ^ Juliano, Joe, "Duke's Magician Saved his Best for the Finish", Philadelphia Inquirer, published March 29, 1992.
- ^ NBA.com: The Original Dream Team
- ^ CBC Sports. "NBA suspends Wizards' Laettner" 15 January 2004. Accessed 06 February 2008.
- ^ http://www.bluedevilventures.com/westvillage.html
- ^ a b NBA.com: Christian Laettner Bio
- ^ Laettner, Davis Give $2 Million to Legacy Fund, New Athletic Facility
- ^ Memphis Grizzlies, Christian Laettner, National Basketball Association - CBSSports.com
- ^ a b "Owner sets May 1 deadline to take team off market".
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|accessmonthday=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) Cite error: The named reference "espn" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page). - ^ Davis remains a team player : Grizzlies : Commercial Appeal
External links
- Christian Laettner NBA.com playerfile
- The Sporting News with a March, 1997 interview of a 27 year-old Atlanta Hawks Laettner
- Template:Basketball-reference
- 1992 Oscar Robertson Trophy
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