After retiring from the NBA in 2005, it hasnt gotten much better for Laettner. He has earned this net worth from his NBA career, where he played around 13 seasons and was paid $61 million. Their leader, Charles Barkley, was named MVP and many had predicted that the Bulls had finally met their match in the NBA Finals. Duke-Kentucky: Looking back at Christian Laettner's historic shot - Yahoo! In 1989, Olympic officials removed the rules barring professionals. First 2 men's NCAA tournament automatic bids, Tenn. Tech earns first auto bid into women's NCAA tournament. Related Read: Why are christians so judgemental? After retiring from the NBA in 2005, it hasnt gotten much better for Laettner. Hardaway and the Heat had the misfortune of going up against some of the best Bulls teams in the 1996 and 1997 NBA Playoffs. 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. Get to know him better in this blog. 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 NBA Championship ring is a, Read More How Much Does a NBA Ring Cost?Continue, ContentsThe teamsThe Los Angeles LakersThe Miami HeatThe playersLeBron JamesAnthony DavisJimmy ButlerThe coachesFrank VogelErik SpoelstraThe historyThe Lakers in the FinalsThe Heat in the FinalsThe predictionsWho will win? -He was never named an All-Star during his time in the NBA. He said he never felt big-timed or snubbed by his more glamorous teammates. Many great players deserved to win the championship as much as he did. Christian Laettner began his basketball career at an early age. He owns the second-most career points in NBA history with 36,928. Christian Laettner is considered to be one of the greatest college basketball players of all time, and his exploits with the Duke Blue Devils led to him being a part of the 1992 Olympics 'Dream Team'. Get viral NBA graphics, memes, rumors and trending news delivered right to your inbox with the Clutch Newsletter. Duke was led by Bobby Hurley, Christian Laettner, Grant Hill and Phil Henderson. That season, Laettner played in all 82 games and averaged double figures in points and rebounds, something he would do only one other time in his career. If there ever was a more balanced NBA team in the Eastern Conference that had the chance to take down the Bulls Dynasty, it was the Hawks. He also racked up an All-Star appearance in 1997 but failed to do anything else of note during his NBA career. MORE: Marquette's Markus Howard picks his five most memorable moments in college. But an objective look at a player whom fans loved to hate says he should be. Christian Laettner is best remembered for his outstanding college career at Duke, where he helped lead the team to two NCAA Championships. No matter how often everyones seen it, no one seems to have found a solution to it for more than a decade. The fo Jordan was unleashed in Game 4 as he dropped 54 points. Once against the Charlotte Hornets, once against the Boston Celtics, once against the Indiana Pacers, and once against the Portland Trail Blazers. Christian Laettner is a retired American professional basketball player. Laettner's clutch play against Alonzo Mourning, the Hoya's far-more-heralded freshman, pushed him from the category of 'good play' to the category of 'major star. Was christian laettner good in the nba? - CGAA Lenny Wilkens had a successful career as a coach following his career as a player. -Laettner only spent four years in the NBA compared to other Hall of famers who played their entire careers in the league which could be seen as indicative of his lack of dominance at the professional level. He bagged the Finals MVP after averaging the highest points in a championship series in NBA history at 41.0 points per game. Every March Madness montage features his 15-foot turnaround jumper that capped off a historic game in NCAA Tournament history. He also chipped in with eight rebounds, four assists, and two blocks in the game. He is the only player to be a starter in four Final Fours. Laettner didn't play much as the "Dream Team" rolled to a gold medal finish, averaging 4.8 points per game in his eight appearances. Biggest rivalry in college hoops: Our starting five all-time in Duke Christian Laettner - Wikipedia Christian Donald Laettner Christian Laettner | Minnesota Timberwolves | NBA.com ", 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. Laettner left the NBA in 2005. 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. There are very few players in the history of the game that can match his college career, said Bilas, an ESPN analyst who played at Dukeand was an assistant coach during Laettners time there. In the NBA, Laettner's highest blocks game was 5, which he achieved on 3 separate occasions. Throughout his career, he averaged 12.8 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. 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. 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. Dude was the best player in a team that won back to back . Any action you take based on the information found on cgaa.org is strictly at your discretion. Christian Laettner attended Nichols School in Buffalo, New York and Duke. Many people are surprised to learn that Christian Laettner didnt actually play in the NBA. His epic . 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 . Initial birdie during when it . Asheville Citizen-Times from Asheville, North Carolina Page 19 Related Read: Who is christian in after we fell? Mullin needed to win as his illustrious career was near its end by this time. Duke Blue Devils' Christian Laettner's shot against Kentucky: An NCAA Christian Laettner was drafted 3rd overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 1992 NBA draft. He was then drafted 3rd overall in the 1992 NBA draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves. 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. Christian Laettner was a senior at Duke in 1991 and 1992. In that series, the 10-time scoring champion averaged video-game-like numbers of 43.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 4.0 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game. It would eventually become very successful, but not initially and Laettner and Davis lost significant amounts of money, which led several investors to sue them. MJ was so drained afterward, he collapsed in the arms of teammate Scottie Pippen who assisted him to the bench. The competition there is real intense. It took him seven years to get there as the Chicago Bulls had to face many obstacles along the way that blocked his path to achieving the ultimate prize. 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. Michael Jordan scored 42 points to lead the Bulls to a rout of the Knicks, 110-81. In his NBA career, Laettner averaged 8.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game. The Blue Devils lost in the Final Four and in the national championship game in Laettner's freshman and sophomore years, respectively. The Christian Laettner NBA career then bounced around the league as he spent time . The smaller and quicker guys give me a lot of trouble. The 15 greatest buzzer-beaters in NCAA tournament history First, it must be a significant game. He scored 23 points in the first half to stay within striking distance of the Jazz before halftime. The six-game series showed that Barkley was a star that belonged on the big stage. Members Of The 1992 NBA Dream Team: Where Did They End Up? - TheSportster Although he never won an NBA Championship, Laettner was a very good rebounder throughout his career. Moreover, they had Larry Bird as their coach. That didnt stop them from wanting to kill you in the game that night, he said. The lead changed 17 times. A versatile player, he was able to play both power forward and center. Or write about sports? AP Was There: Laettner's shot stuns Kentucky in OT, 104-103 - Yahoo! The undersized Sixers forward was only 6-foot-6 but was built powerfully and had the speed and quickness of a guard. He also holds several NCAA records. They defeated Michigan's Fab 5 in the championship game to win the national title, becoming the first repeat champions since UCLA in 1972-73. Even the big guys were hauling," the 6-foot-11 Laettner said. The Jordan Dynasty lasted for six years with two years separating the two three-peats. As of right now, Christian Laettner is not in the NBA Hall of Fame. Laettner spent over three seasons in Minnesota before he was dealt to the Atlanta Hawks in 1995-96. Dikembe Mutombo, Mookie Blaylock, Steve Smith, and Christian Laettner. But he still averaged 17.1 points per game and shot over 50% from the field. He played 13 seasons in the NBA for 6 different teams. 7 Baylor fall on final Saturday of the men's basketball regular season, Tracking all 32 NCAA men's basketball conference tournaments, auto bids for 2023, 'I know in my heart hes always there': Parker Stewart perseveres after losing his father and coach, Detroit Mercy's Antoine Davis finishes career as second-leading scorer in Division I history, Men's college basketball career scoring leaders, Minnesota men's basketball stuns Rutgers at the buzzer in comeback win, 2023 NCAA printable bracket, schedule for March Madness, 2023 March Madness men's NCAA tournament schedule, Last-second shot puts Penn State on top of Northwestern in OT, The mens basketball teams with the most NCAA tournament 1 seeds, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, 1992 consensus National Player of the Year, Laettner's shot to beat Kentucky 104-103 in the 1992 Elite Eight was named the top March Madness moment of all time, Named a top-15 player in NCAA tournament history in the 75 Years of March Madness Celebration, A member of the 2,000-point, 1,000-rebound club, 1st in NCAA tournament history in career games played: 23 games, 1st in the 1989 NCAA tournament in field goal percentage: 78.8 percent, 1st in the 1991 NCAA tournament in points: 125 points, 1st in the 1992 NCAA tournament in points: 115 points, T-1st in the 1992 NCAA tournament in steals: 13 steals, 2nd in NCAA tournament history in career rebounds (after 1973): 169 rebounds, T-2nd in NCAA tournament history in free throws made in a single tournament: 49 free throws, T-3rd in NCAA tournament history in career field goals made: 128 field goals, T-5th in Final Four history with a two-game free throws made total: 21 free throws.