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I would've felt special if I had made the free throw, but I'm not sure it could've been any more special. If his place on the 1992 U.S. roster seems curious to some who question why even one collegian was kept (while NBA stars including Isiah Thomas were left off), his teammates recognized his value. Some believe that he is one of the greatest players ever to come out of Duke University, while others argue that his success was due largely to playing for one of the best college basketball programs in the country. Jay Williams, the former Duke sensation, won a national championship with the Blue Devils in 2001 and was a two-time player of the year. He led the Bulls to a 4-2 series win, averaging a series-high 27.3 points per game to go along with 1.7 steals and taking home the Finals MVP trophy. Then there's the Kentucky game, when Laettner's iconic jumper lifted the Blue Devils past the Wildcats 104-103 in overtime and into the Final Four. Furthermore, his career was largely defined by his collegiate success rather than his professional accomplishments. I've got to check out Duke. Barkley could have joined Johnson and Majerle at this spot, but he ranks much higher on this list because he faced Jordan two other times in the Eastern Conference. However, it is worth noting that he is not a part of the Hall of Fame for his individual achievements as an NBA player, unlike other players of the aforementioned Olympics team. So while Shaquille O'Neal (LSU) and Alonzo Mourning (Georgetown) were probably better players at the time, Laettner did have star power of his own. As a result, the forward has downplayed his participation on. Except, even at his worst, Michael Jordan would find a way to win. However, injuries derailed his career in his later years, and he was never able to live up to his full potential. Williams, the No. He was a prep All-American and Howard Garfinkel of Five-Star Camp said Laettner was the third-best center in the his high school class. Christian Donald Laettner ( / letnr /, LAYT-nr; born August 17, 1969) is an American former professional basketball player. ", Laettner after Duke beat UConn in the 1990 NCAA tournament: "This game was by far the most fun I've had in my whole life. Sustaining excellence in men's college basketball is no easy task. Find out more. It would come to be known as The Shot II, sending the Cavaliers home for the summer with another heartbreaker. -He is one of only 10 players in NCAA history to amass more than 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 400 assists, and 200 blocks in their career. A second can make such a big difference. The Bulls finished off the Jazz at home in Game 6 when Jordan passed the ball to an open Steve Kerr for the title-clinching shot. Villanova won the tournament in 1985. How does he compare to other young players in the league? Wilkens is already enshrined as a player and coach. Christian Laettner is not in the Hall of Fame. The third time was on January 14, 1993, against the Los Angeles Clippers. Christian Laettner is on Twitter at laettnerbball. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. But Michael Jordan was more than any man could handle. The second time was on December 16, 1992, against the Indiana Pacers. He also helped them win the NCAA title in both 1991-92, the first college team to repeat as champions since the 1970 heyday of the UCLA Bruins. Enter your information to receive emails about offers, promotions from NCAA.com and our partners. Im bringing my whole family to Springfield, for this is a wonderful honor.. He averaged at least 16 points and seven rebounds in each of his first five years in the league. He is also known for his clutch performances in college, most notably the jumper he scored against Kentucky in the regional final. In his career, Laettner had 14 assists in a game four times. As of February 2023, Christian Laettner has an estimated net worth of $12 million. That, his college success, and his clutch shots, led one basketball writer to dub him one of the two luckiest people to ever live, along with Ringo Starr.. He also had a long and successful college career, winning 2 NCAA Championships with Duke University. Over his 13 year NBA career, Laettner averaged 12.8 points per game and 6.7 rebounds per game. "He's going to be great," Garfinkel said. But even when His Airness couldnt take flight because of stomach flu in Game 5, he still managed to score 38 points, including the deciding three-pointer with about 25 seconds to go. Laettner had a solid if not spectacular 13-year NBA career that gets underrated. Laettner, of course, went on to hit famous NCAA tournament buzzer-beaters against UConn and Kentucky, the latter later named the best moment in NCAA tournament history during the 75 Years of March Madness celebration. A s an exhausted Tom Clark settled back into the aisle seat of his Delta Airlines flight the morning of March 29, 1992, a slight sense of uneasiness was tugging at his enormous feeling of . The Bulls were tested and hardened by the Pacers in the previous series that went to a Game 7 (see number 6 of this list). The late Chuck Daly was head coach; Mike Krzyzewski and Lenny Wilkens are also in, leaving only assistant P.J. It would be interesting to see him in an offense like that of todays Houston Rockets, where he could roam the three-point line and be the beneficiary of pick-and-pops with James Harden and Russell Westbrook. The accolades are endless, but more than anything, Laettner is known for "The Shot." In the. Jerry Tarkanian led the Rebels to his only championship win. Barkley was the NBAs best power forward during the early 90s. But some teams have active ongoing streaks that have lasted two decades. Duke was led by Bobby Hurley, Christian Laettner, Grant Hill and Phil Henderson. However, Laettners time in the NBA was relatively short-lived. 1 seed Georgetown and standout center Alonzo Mourning. Smith was a shooting guard who could score in bunches while playing excellent defense. One of the all-time great centers, Ewing eventually found success in the playoffs with bruising power forward Oakley, (a former Bull), and fiery shooting guard Starks. A 6-11 (211 cm) power forward / center, Laettner played at Duke University, where he led them to the Final Four all four years of his college career. Overall, Christian Laettner had a very successful NBA career. Three of the four coaches are also enshrined. Laettner had a strong rookie season, averaging nearly 15 points and eight rebounds per game, and was unanimously named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. The lead changed 17 times. Starks was clueless on how to stop the rampaging Bull and he remained unshackled until the series was over. MJ was so drained afterward, he collapsed in the arms of teammate Scottie Pippen who assisted him to the bench. What impact has he, Read More Jordan Hall: The NBAs Rising StarContinue, ContentsHow much does an average NBA ring cost?How much does the most expensive NBA ring cost?How are NBA rings made?How much does it cost to make an NBA ring?How many diamonds are in an NBA ring?What is the value of an NBA ring?Where can I buy an NBA ring? The Bulls eliminated the Sixers easily in five games. Schrempf was no pushover as well as he scored 16.3 points per game while shooting 38.9 percent from the three-point line. Laettner was an aggressive, some said dirty, player, who was not always well-liked. Christian Laettner is a retired American professional basketball player. Yep, that would be Jalen Rose and the Michigan Wolverines. ", Krzyzewski: "Christian is very intelligent. When it comes to championships, the two are infamous for having played the most playoff games without winning a title. As good as Hardaway was, Jordan was far superior. ", Joe Frisaro of The Tampa Tribune (December 1987): "Imagine, a 6-foot-10 center who's a deadly shooter, has excellent athletic ability and is willing to dive all over the court for a loose ball. Below we take a look at some of the arguments for and against his induction into the Hall. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Christian Laettner is 6-11 (211 cm) tall. He is best known for his time with the Duke Blue Devils, where he won two national championships and was a part of the famed Fab Five recruiting class of 1991. Any action you take based on the information found on cgaa.org is strictly at your discretion. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. That placed him 11th, ahead of Stockton, the ultimate playmaker, who scored 2.3 per game. He made headlines in 2016 when he pledged to donate his entire Olympic gold medal winnings ($108,000) to charity. His college career for the Duke Blue Devils is widely regarded as one of the best in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) history. 3) How many titles did Christian Laettner win at Duke? The 1989 and 1991 Knicks were ill-equipped to challenge the Bulls and both teams would flame out in six and three games, respectively. During the six-game series, Kemp averaged 23.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.3 steals, and 2.0 blocks per game. I have half a brain. The next year he averaged 27.8 points and 17.5 rebounds per game. None. O'Neal and Mourning went on to become dominant NBA centers, and there's a strong case one of them should have been named the "Dream Team" youngster regardless of how well Laettner performed at Duke. What do his teammates and coaches think of him? Mar 28, 2019. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NCAA or its member institutions. Christian Laettner began his basketball career at an early age. Point guard Price, power forward Nance, and center Daugherty were All-Stars and as good a Big 3 as any you will find in the league at the time. Going one-on-one with Russell, Jordan drove to the middle then went with a crossover to take a jumper from the top of the key as his defender fell to the floor. But perhaps those high expectations for Laettner got in his head and were just too lofty for him to live up to. Laettner couldnt quite capture the high potential from his rookie season until he made the All-Star as an Atlanta Hawk in the 1996-97 season on his way to averaging 18.2 ppg and 8.8 rpg on the season. ", Laettner on missing potential game-tying free throws against Arizona in a loss: "The whole Arizona game was the turning point for me. In Game 5, Michael Jordan received a pass from Luc Longley from the baseline and dunked the ball over the outstretched arms of Mutombo. Given Laettner's skills and remarkable athletic capabilities, it's hard to argue that he shouldn't be included on a team that features stars like Magic Johnson, Jordan, Karl Malone and Chris Mullin. He and college teammate Brian Davis started Blue Devil Ventures (BDV), which attempted to revitalize downtown Durham. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team that year. Ultimately, Christian Laettners legacy will be defined by his successes and failures both on and off the court. Related Read: Why are christians so judgemental? He, too, was an All-Star. pic.twitter.com/Pwtvqx29oJ. John Laettner is not in the NBA Hall of Fame. Jordan scored at least 41 points in four straight games, topping it off with a 55-point performance in Game 4. Considering that the average NBA game today features about half that many points, this record is simply astounding. He had five offensive rebounds, grabbing some of them during the most crucial plays of the game. Laettner, 47, led Duke to national championships in 1991 and '92. Sadly, Barkley would never play in the NBA Finals again and continued to be ringless until he retired. The Blue Devils lost in the Final Four and in the. He led the Heat to the playoffs as a no-nonsense floor leader and gave the team its earliest taste of postseason success. Karl Malone averaged 38.8 points per game in his NBA career. Andy Wittry has written for Stadium, SI.com, Sporting News, the Indianapolis Star, Louisville Courier-Journal and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Mike Krzyzewski was in his 12th season as head coach at Duke in 1992. Johnson and Majerle would never get the chance to play in an NBA Finals again. The lucky passenger on the most dominant basketball team ever was Christian Laettner, and Shaq acknowledges it was the right choice to make, despite the fact he had just been selected no.1 in the Draft. Trailing 101-100, Kentucky forward Sean Woods hit a shot in the lane to put Kentucky ahead 102-101 and seemingly win the game for the Wildcats, as only 2.1 seconds remained. The man-child known as Kemp was one of the NBAs best dunkers and one of its most ferocious finishers on the fastbreak. Was Christian Laettner good in the NBA? But Malone and Stockton werent done yet. The stories. Ewing was as good as ever, averaging 25.8 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.8 blocks per game. Meeting in the Eastern Conference Finals, Jordan gave the Heat everything they could handle, scoring 30.2 points, grabbing 8.0 rebounds, and stealing the ball 1.8 times each night. There is no doubt that Laettner had a successful college and professional career, but the question remains should he be in the Hall of Fame? Jordan went to work once again. ", More Local News to Love Start today for 50% off Expires 3/6/23. Christian Laettner still holds the following records - most points scored (407), most free throws made (142), most free throw attempts (167), and most games won (21). Though he was a very successful college basketball player, Laettners NBA career was relatively short-lived. Christian Laettner was drafted by Minnesota Timberwolves, 1st round (3rd pick, 3rd overall), 1992 NBA Draft. During the 1997 All-Star Game, the finger-wagging Mutombo baited Jordan by saying that MJ had never dunked on him, not even once. He dribbles behind his back and hustles more than a shopping clerk at Christmas. The first time was on November 11, 1992, against the Charlotte Hornets. It was an adjustment for about one minute of the first practice, said Laettner, whose career had been spent as a first option, not the 12th. ", Former Duke guard Phil Henderson: "He doesn't play like a freshman, but he still has that giddiness about him. Christian Laettner is widely regarded as one of the best college basketball players to ever play. ", Laettner, reflecting on watching the 1986 national championship game as a high-schooler: "They all looked at each other and they seemed to be having a lot of fun out there. Almost 30 years ago, Laettner powered Duke past Kentucky with one of the most famous shots in basketball history. Does he take the lead, or does he get everyone else involved first in the first few minutes of Game 7? Throughout the game, he was visibly in pain but even at 50 percent capacity, Pippen was still better than any player the Bulls could replace him with. Although he was close to filing for bankruptcy in 2016, he seemed at peace with how his basketball career had went in the 2015 documentary of his life, perfectly titled I Hate Christian Laettner. Although he was close to filing for bankruptcy in 2016, he seemed at peace with how his basketball career had went in the 2015 documentary of his life, perfectly titled I Hate Christian Laettner. Russell Westbrook per Forbes, as of September 2019, Russell Westbrook has the most followers of any NBA player on, Read More What NBA Player Has the Most Followers on Instagram?Continue. He was selected third overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves in 1992; he remains one of only two college players (Manning being the other) to be drafted in the first round without having played in either the McDonalds All-American Game or the Nike Camps (the latter did not exist until 1987). Of the 12 Dream Teamers, eight are individual Hall of Famers Charles Barkley, Larry Bird, Clyde Drexler, Patrick Ewing, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, David Robinson and John Stockton. He is the only individual. We can not guarantee its completeness or reliability so please use caution. Coach K's squad won the East Regional Final and beat Indiana in the Final Four. 7th in NCAA tournament history in career rebounds: 13th all-time in NCAA history in single-season 3-point percentage: 55.7 percent, 1992, T-17th all-time in NCAA history in career games played: 148 games, T-18th all-time in NCAA history in career free throws made: 713 free throws, 25th all-time in NCAA history in scoring: 2,460 points. In his three years at Duke University, Christian Laettner became one of the most decorated players in college basketball history.