Athletes - Christian Laettner

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	Athletes - Christian Laettner

Christian Donald Laettner (born August 17, 1969 in Angola, New York) is a former professional basketball player who has played 13 seasons in the NBA on six different teams. He was the only collegian member of the original Dream Team of the 1992 Summer Olympics and started for the 1991 and 1992 NCAA champion Duke University Blue Devils.

College career

Laettner is especially known for his game-winning last-second shot in Duke's dramatic 104-103 victory over Kentucky in the East regional final of the 1992 NCAA Tournament. Footage of Laettner's 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 for the Allstate Corporation. 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".

In that same game, UK player Aminu Timberlake was whistled for a foul against Laettner. Timberlake went down, and as he was lying prone on the floor, Laettner stepped on his chest. It is likely Laettner did this because he thought Timberlake had committed a foul against him earlier that was not called, when in reality the offending player was UK's Daron Feldhaus who was pushed into Laettner by Duke's Brian Davis.

His number #32 was retired by Duke in 1992. His jersey was the sixth of eleven jerseys retired by Duke on March 31, 2004. 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 at 48.5%. Laettner is also the only player in NCAA tournament history to start in four consecutive Final Fours.

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. Many critics thought that he should not have been drafted as high as he was.

He was a member of the Minnesota 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 in the NBA. Although he was an All Star in 1997, many believe Laettner did not live up to the high expectations placed on him when he came out of college. Most recently he was a reserve center/forward with the Heat, often substituting for starting center Shaquille O'Neal. Following the 2004-05 season, Laettner's agent, Lon Babby, had said the former Duke star was retiring after 13 NBA seasons.

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. According to its website, BDV renovates historic properties in downtown Durham, North Carolina, in order to "promote a healthy and thriving urban environment" in economically struggling Durham.

On July 28, 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. 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.

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Athletes - Christian Laettner

College career

Professional career

Business and philanthropy

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