Christian Laettner was born and raised in Angola, New York, near Buffalo and Niagara Falls, to a blue-collarRoman Catholic family.[3] His father George, a newspaper press plant printer, was of Polish descent and his grandparents spoke Polish as their first language while his mother Bonnie was a teacher. Christian's older brother Christopher was a strong influence, often bullying young Christian, which helped instill a stern competitive drive.[4] Both boys also frequently worked as farm laborers to supplement their allowance.[3]
Laettner making a lay-up as a sophomore at Nichols School
Laettner attended the private Nichols School. Although he received a financial aid package that paid a substantial part of his tuition, his family had to sacrifice to send him there and he also did janitorial work at the school to defray some of the cost.[b] During his career he scored over 2,000 points, breaking the school record set by teammate Ron Torgalski,[5] and the team won two state titles and reached another semifinal.[3] He was the second player from Western New York to reach 2,000 points, falling short of Curtis Aiken's total of 2,162 set five years earlier.[6] He was a much sought-after college recruit.[c]
In 2009 as The Buffalo News celebrated 50 years of All-Western New York (WNY) basketball selections, Laettner, who was twice an All-WNY first team selection was named to the 1980s All-WNY first team along with Aiken, Gary Bossert, Keith Robinson and Ritchie Campbell[7] He was a first team selection for the All-time All-WNY team along with Aiken, Paul Harris, Bob Lanier and Mel Montgomery.[8][9]
Laettner attended Duke University and played for the basketball team from 1988 to 1992 under coach Mike Krzyzewski. As the team's star player his final two seasons, he led the Blue Devils to the first two national titles in school history.[d] A four-year starter, he also contributed to their runner-up finish his sophomore year and Final Four appearance in his freshman year.[e] Thus, in total, he played 23 out of a maximum possible 24 NCAA tournament games, winning 21; both are records.
Laettner had several clutch performances in the NCAA tournament.[4] His most famous was the 1992 regional final against Kentucky, which was foreshadowed by the 1990 regional final against UConn; in both games Duke trailed by one point with two seconds remaining in overtime before Laettner made a jumper as time expired. He also swished the game-winning free throws against undefeated and heavily favored UNLV in the 1991 semifinal, which avenged UNLV's 30-point victory in the 1990 final. He then led Duke to its first championship, defeating Kansas in the final, and was selected as the tournament's most outstanding player.
In the 1992 East Regional Final, a game many critics rate among the greatest in college basketball history, Laettner hit a game-winning, buzzer-beating turn-around jumper that has since become known as simply The Shot.[4][13][14] Over the course of the game, he shot a perfect ten of ten field goals and ten of ten free throws for 31 points. He then finished his college career by leading Duke to its second consecutive national title. The following year ESPN awarded him both "Outstanding Performance Under Pressure" and "College Basketball Play of the Year" for the Kentucky game, also awarding him "Outstanding College Basketball Performer of the Year".[15]
The game-winning shot against Kentucky became a cultural icon, having been frequently televised in college basketball montages. Several companies have also featured it in their commercials.[f] In 2006 The Best Damn Sports Show Period ranked it the fifth most memorable moment in sports history.[16]
Widely reviled
Laettner was widely reviled by opposing fans throughout his career, to the extent that more than 20 years after graduating from Duke, he was voted the most hated college basketball player in history in an ESPN online poll.[17] This led to ESPN's creation of the 30 for 30 documentary I Hate Christian Laettner that explored five factors that the filmmakers believe explain this widespread and persistent hatred: race, privilege, bullying, greatness, and physical appearance.[4] He was particularly resented for stepping on the chest of Kentucky player Aminu Timberlake during the 1992 regional final, which the referees deemed a technical foul; Laettner expressed regret for his misconduct but believed that ejection would have been too harsh a consequence.[18]
Professional career
Selected third overall in 1992 NBA draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves,[g] Laettner played 13 years in the NBA, from 1992 to 2005, scoring 11,121 points and grabbing 5,806 rebounds.[10] His first six seasons were his best, averaging 16.6 points and 7.9 rebounds per game while starting almost all of them. He also was selected to the All-Rookie First Team in 1993 and the All-Star Game in 1997 while with the Atlanta Hawks, having been traded to Atlanta in 1996 alongside Sean Rooks in exchange for Spud Webb and Andrew Lang. His time on the Hawks was his most successful NBA team experience, twice reaching the second round of the playoffs.[10]
Despite his achievements, Laettner's NBA career was characterized by relative transience.[4] He played for six different teams, was traded six times, and never spent more than four full seasons anywhere.[10] In 2004, he was suspended for several games for using marijuana.[19]
Laettner maintains a close friendship with Duke teammate Brian Davis.[4] They have pursued several business ventures together, including real-estate development in Durham,[23] a Major League Soccer team,[24] and an unsuccessful attempt to purchase the Memphis Grizzlies.[25] Some legal problems, primarily regarding unpaid debts, have also occurred.[26] In 2010, Laettner was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a member of the 1992 Dream Team. Laettner is the only player of the team who hasn't been inducted into the Hall of Fame individually.
Since 2011 he has operated numerous youth basketball training camps.[27] He also played one season in a semi-pro league[28] and briefly served as an assistant coach in the NBA Development League.[29] For The Z Team, an Olympic Channel reality show that has former Olympic athletes help struggling sports teams, he worked with the Garinger High School boys basketball team for a week.[30]
^According to Wojciechowski, "He was, in all probability, the poorest student at the school and almost certainly the only one whose parents ordered his clothes from the Sears catalog, which was the one place they could find pants that fit his growing frame."[3]
^As a freshman, Laettner received his first recruiting letter from nearby St. Bonaventure University. The following year, he became a national recruit, sought after by virtually every major Division I program. He initially narrowed his list to 11 schools and eventually decided he preferred the brand of basketball played in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). By his senior year, he decided he would make only three official visits—to Duke, North Carolina and Virginia.[3]
^Duke was the first repeat champion since UCLA in 1973 and remains one of two teams, along with Florida in 2007, to defend its title after the NCAA tournament expanded to six rounds in 1985.
^earning the distinction of being one of only four players (including teammates Greg Koubek and Brian Davis) to play in four consecutive final fours, while being the only one to start every game.
^including those of Allstate in 2003 and Laettner's reenactment for Vitamin Water in 2009
^$1 million to Nichols School to create a scholarship fund for students in financial need and to aid in the completion of a new gymnasium[35] and, in partnership with Brian Davis, $2 million to Duke's men's basketball program to endow an athletic scholarship and support construction of an athletics center and practice facility.[36]
^ abcdeWojciechowski, Gene (January 10, 2012). "How can you be that confident?". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 11, 2012. Excerpted from The Last Great Game: Duke vs. Kentucky and the 2.1 Seconds that Changed Basketball, Blue Rider Books (imprint of Penguin Group USA), 2012.
^McShea, Keith (March 7, 2009). "All-time All-WNY team: How'd we do?". The Buffalo News. ProQuest381940241. Retrieved February 9, 2024. First team Curtis Aiken, Bennett 1981-82, '82-83 Paul Harris, Niagara Falls, 2003-04, '04-05 Christian Laettner, Nichols 1986-87, '87-88 Bob Lanier, Bennett 1965-66 Mel Montgomery, Kensington 1969-70, '70-71
^McShea, Keith (March 7, 2009). "WNY's all-time high school basketball team". McClatchy-Tribune Business News. ProQuest464904948. Retrieved February 9, 2024. Our staff has been banging under the boards for more than a month, picking our all-decade teams as we built toward this point, the final shot of our celebration of the 50th anniversary of All-WNY basketball. . .There were letters, e-mails, voice mails, blog comments and phone calls. There were opinions from coaches, teammates, fathers, brothers, sons and of course fans.
