The time was ripe for them to make it to the NBA Finals. What are some of his most impressive accomplishments? He is also third all-time in total field goals made (2,759) and sixth all-time in assists (2,157). Laettner's final two seasons in the NBA were spent with the Pistons and the Washington Wizards, before he retired in 2005. He would go on to play for another four teams over the next seven years before ultimately retiring from the NBA in 2005. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. Meanwhile, Alonzo Mourning (who won a championship with the Heat in 2006) was the man in the middle, the All-Star center who patrolled the paint and was the cornerstone of the franchise. He teamed up with Shaquille ONeal to eliminate the Bulls in the 1995 Easter Conference Semifinals at a time when Jordan had just returned from his short-lived baseball career. Johnson and Majerle would never get the chance to play in an NBA Finals again. 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. Stockton, meanwhile, is the best pure point guard in league history. Years later, Laettner understands he. Over his 13 year NBA career, Laettner averaged 12.8 points per game and 6.7 rebounds per game. Laettner delivered one of the most famous performances in collegiate basketball history, the 1992 regional final against Kentucky. 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. The Shot. As Laettner's skills and reputation grew -- Nichols won state titles in 1985 and 1986 and reached the state semifinals in 1987 -- so did the recruiting efforts. With his follow-through in perfect form, number 23 scored his 45th point of the ballgame to give them an 87-86 lead. AP Was There: Laettner's shot stuns Kentucky in OT, 104-103 - Yahoo! Right, Born: March 13, 2015 Christian Laettner is not a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame as an individual. Laettner scored a then-career-high 24 points on 9-of-10 shooting, while leading Duke in rebounding with nine boards, plus dishing out four assists, in an NCAA tournament win against No. Christian Laettner was a senior at Duke in 1991 and 1992. Unfortunately, the answer is no. In the first round of the 1988 NBA Playoffs, Jordan lit them up for 50 and 55 points in the first two games. Christian Laettner's buzzer beater knocks out Kentucky and sends Duke March Madness: Duke's Grant Hill on famous pass to Christian Laettner The combined 370 points scored in the Pistons 186-184 triple-overtime win over the Denver Nuggets on Dec. 13, 1983, has to be pretty high on the list. College Basketball Stars Who Missed The Mark In The NBA I was jealous," O'Neal said in a radiointerviewduring the 2012 NBA Finals. 2023 NCAA | Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Full game: Duke beats Kentucky on Christian Laettner's shot, advances to 1992 Final Four, Marquette's Markus Howard picks his five most memorable moments in college, These are Payton Pritchard's 5 favorite games from his senior season, College basketball dictionary: 51 terms defined, No. Duke-Kentucky: Looking back at Christian Laettner's historic shot - Yahoo! It's great, because he still has that kind of enthusiasm. He played 13 seasons in the NBA for 6 different teams. Duke Blue Devils' Christian Laettner's shot against Kentucky: An NCAA Nichols School in Buffalo, New York, Draft: Hindsight certainly makes the decision look strange. ", Larry Felser of the Buffalo News (March 1989): "His performance in Duke's victory over Georgetown Easter Sunday makes it fairly clear that Christian Laettner could end up ranking with Bob Lanier as the greatest basketball player ever to come out of Buffalo. He was traded again in 1999, this time to the Detroit Pistons. Everyone expected the 1992 Eastern Conference Semifinals to be mere formalities for the 67-15 Bulls to advance to the next round. The undersized Sixers forward was only 6-foot-6 but was built powerfully and had the speed and quickness of a guard. Former Duke star Grant Hill tells story of famous pass to Christian Laettner in 1992 NCAA Tournament win vs. Kentucky Thomas O'Toole USA TODAY 0:00 1:42 When Duke's Grant Hill took the ball. Here are our 10 reasons to love Christian Laettner, because he was absolutely better for the game of basketball than we remember, and there's ( almost ) no reason to hate him at all. He owns the most number of assists with 15,806 and steals with 3,265. Duke's Christian Laettner shoots the game-winning basket in overtime over Kentucky's Deron Feldhaus to win the NCAA East Finals in Philadelphia on March 28, 1992. LaVale Laettner played four years at Duke. 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. inAngola,New York "It was someone else.". However, Christian Laettner's NBA career was a bit underwhelming in comparison. He will become the first basketball figure (and possibly the first individual of any sport) to enter the Hall of Fame three times for three different roles. The Bulls eliminated the Sixers easily in five games. Christian Laettner and the 1992 Blue Devils Where Are They Now? The Duke Blue Devils definitely fall into the villain camp in college basketball and the Darth Vader in Duke's history, at least according to opposing fans, is 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. A story published in The Tampa Tribune in December 1987 noted how Laettner's Nichols School team competed in the Kingdom of the Sun Holiday Classic in Ocala, Florida, and Laettner scored 39 points, capped off by a jumper at the buzzer that give his team a 70-69 win. School: DukePosition: CenterHeight: 6-11Weight: 235 poundsYears active: 1988-92NCAA tournament record: 21-2Career averages: 16.6 points per game, 7.8 rebounds per game, 57.4% field goal shooting. Sadly, Barkley would never play in the NBA Finals again and continued to be ringless until he retired. Laettner started off his career pretty well for the Minnesota Timberwolves, as he averages a promising 18.2 points per game and 8.7 rebounds per game and was a member of the 1992-93 All-Rookie team. In the 1992 NBA draft, Christian Laettner was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves. Dikembe Mutombo, Mookie Blaylock, Steve Smith, and Christian Laettner. I've got to check out Duke. He said he never felt big-timed or snubbed by his more glamorous teammates. Michael Jordan scored 42 points to lead the Bulls to a rout of the Knicks, 110-81. He also added seven rebounds, five assists, three steals, and one block. 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). Shaq: Laettner deserved Dream Team over O'Neal in 1992 - The Devils Den Love or Hate Christian Laettner, but It Is Time to Honor Him That didnt stop them from wanting to kill you in the game that night, he said. MJ stole the ball and raced back to the other end of the court. They lost in six games to the Los Angeles Lakers. Related Read: How old is christian nodal? He was then drafted 3rd overall in the 1992 NBA draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves. He played at Nichols School in Buffalo, and then at Duke University from 1988 to 1992. Get to know him better in this blog. Biggest rivalry in college hoops: Our starting five all-time in Duke After hearing the quotes that analysts like Jay Bilas said to Benjamin Hoffman of the New York Times about Laettner, you would think that hed be destined for greatness in the NBA. Second, his skillset was better suited for a more up-tempo style of play, which was not as common in the NBA during his career. I've gone to a lot of camps. Christian Laettner was drafted by Minnesota Timberwolves, 1st round (3rd pick, 3rd overall), 1992 NBA Draft. laettnerbball, Position: 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. 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. Laettner would go on to have a very successful career, but this game would always stand out as his best individual performance. He made headlines in 2016 when he pledged to donate his entire Olympic gold medal winnings ($108,000) to charity. Hardaway would never come close to another finals appearance as injuries took their toll on his body later in his career. O'Neal, on the other hand, put together a first ballot Hall of Fame career, winning NBA Championships in 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2006 while averaging 24 points and 11 rebounds on 58 percent shooting . As of right now, Christian Laettner is not in the NBA Hall of Fame. I was the bag boy, the waterboy, said Laettner, a Duke University superstar and the only player without NBA experience to play on the 1992 U.S. Olympic mens basketball team. He was traded six times in his career and never spent more than three seasons with one franchise. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. He was a prominent American basketball player of the 1990s and early 2000s who is best known for his game-winning shot against Kentucky in the 1992 tournament that helped lead Duke to the championship game, and for the hatred he received from opposing fans. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. They lost in the first round in 1996 due to inexperience and the lack of talented players on their roster, especially as the no. -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. The accolades are endless, but more than anything, Laettner is known for "The Shot." In the. After his playing career ended, Laettner became a successful businessman and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020. He, too, was an All-Star. The biggest adjustment was the speed. What do his teammates and coaches think of him? 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. When he channels that energy to the next play in a positive manner, that puts him at a very high level. Christian D. LAETTNER Biography, Olympic Medals, Records and Age The game is usually considered the greatest ever in college basketball, and Laettners shot has been re-run on television numerous times since 1992. Ultimately, Christian Laettners legacy will be defined by his successes and failures both on and off the court. - GetAnyAnswer, Exactly what went wrong with Christian Laettners NBA career, Christian Laettner Wisely Knew to 'Keep Your Mouth Shut, Was christian laettner good in the nba? It has been almost 30 years since Duke standout Christian Laettner was picked over to Isiah Thomas to represent America in the Olympics with the 1992 Dream Team. The second time was on December 16, 1992, against the Indiana Pacers. Get viral NBA graphics, memes, rumors and trending news delivered right to your inbox with the Clutch Newsletter. Was Christian Laettner's Buzzer-Beater the Greatest Shot in NCAA What are the fundamentals of christianity? Christian Laettner is enshrined in the Naismith Hall of Fame as a member of the fabled 'Dream Team' which also includes the likes of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird. Hardaway and the Heat had the misfortune of going up against some of the best Bulls teams in the 1996 and 1997 NBA Playoffs. Johnson and Majerle would never get the chance to play in an NBA Finals again. Player stats broken down into various categories; i.e. Schrempf was a three-time All-Star, an All-NBA Third Team member, and was twice named Sixth Man of the Year. Join our linker program. A member of the 1992 USA Olympic Dream Team, Laettner is one of only two players to have started all eight games during the teams dominant run to the gold medal. "I Hate Christian Laettner" And How The Arrogance Of The Duke Star Worked Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. ", 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. Their leader, Charles Barkley, was named MVP and many had predicted that the Bulls had finally met their match in the NBA Finals. While he did last 13 years in the league and did make an All-Star team, he only averaged 12.8 points per game in his career and never averaged more than 8.8 rebounds per game. The genius play design and perfect execution sent the Blue Devils to their fifth straight NCAA Final Four: https://t.co/tH6Ql7mGL4 pic.twitter.com/VW4Gsbzkxj. Christian Laettner reaches deal to possibly avoid bankruptcy - ESPN.com All rights reserved (About Us). 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. As good as Hardaway was, Jordan was far superior. Laettners NBA career ended in 2005, and he has not played professionally since. Laettner had 14 points and four assists in that game as well. In three seasons with the Sixers, Laettner averaged just 8.1 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game and, in 2000, he was waived by the team after averaging only 4.9 points per game in 26 total appearances.
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