Christian Donald Laettner (, ; born August 17, 1969) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player. His college career for the

Duke Blue Devils The Duke Blue Devils are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Duke University, located in Durham, North Carolina. Duke's athletics department features 27 varsity teams that all compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association ...

is widely regarded as one of the best in

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...

(NCAA) history. He was the star player on the back-to-back Duke National Championship teams of

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...

and 1992, and the NCAA player of the year in his senior year.Christian Laettner
at the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame He is particularly famous for his game-winning shot against

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

in the 1992 tournament and for the hatred he received from opposing fans. Laettner was the only collegian selected for the

1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team The 1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team, nicknamed the "Dream Team", was the first American Olympic team to feature active professional players from the National Basketball Association (NBA). The team has been described by some jou ...

, dubbed the "Dream Team", that won the gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics. As a member of the "Dream Team", Laettner is enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame, and

FIBA Hall of Fame The FIBA Hall of Fame, or FIBA Basketball Hall of Fame, honors players, coaches, teams, referees, and administrators who have greatly contributed to international competitive basketball. It was established by FIBA, in 1991. It includes the " Samar ...

, while he is enshrined for his individual career in the

College Basketball Hall of Fame The National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Kansas City, Missouri, is a hall of fame and museum dedicated to men's college basketball. The museum is an integral portion of the College Basketball Experience created by the National ...

. He was drafted third overall by the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...

, then played 13 seasons in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

(NBA) for six teams, being named as an All-Star in 1997.

Early life

Christian Laettner was born and raised in

Angola, New York Angola is a village in the town of Evans in Erie County, New York, United States. Located east of Lake Erie, the village is southwest of downtown Buffalo. As of the 2010 Census, Angola had a population of 2,127. An unincorporated community kno ...

(near Buffalo and Niagara Falls) to a

blue-collar A blue-collar worker is a working class person who performs manual labor. Blue-collar work may involve skilled or unskilled labor. The type of work may involving manufacturing, warehousing, mining, excavation, electricity generation and powe ...

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

family. 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. His father George, a newspaper press plant printer, was of

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

descent and his grandparents spoke

as their first language; 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. Both boys also frequently worked as farm laborers to supplement their allowance. Nichols School 1986 yearbook page 201, Laettner lay-up

Nichols School 1986 yearbook page 201, Laettner lay-up

Laettner attended the private

Nichols School Nichols School is a private, non-denominational, co-educational college- preparatory day school in Buffalo, New York, United States. The average enrollment is 570 students with an average Upper School grade/class size of 98 students. The average ...

; 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. During his career he scored over 2,000 points, breaking the school record set by teammate

Ron Torgalski Ronald J. Torgalski is an American former college baseball and college basketball coach. He was most recently the head baseball coach for the University at Buffalo. During his nine seasons as coach of the Bulls, he has compiled an overall record of ...

, and the team won two state titles and reached another semifinal. He was a much sought-after college recruit.

College

Duke MBB 1988-89 card - Christian Laettner front

Laettner attended Duke University and played for the

basketball team Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

from 1988 to 1992 under coach

Mike Krzyzewski Michael William Krzyzewski ( ; born February 13, 1947), nicknamed "Coach K", is an American former college basketball coach. He served as the head coach at Duke University from 1980 to 2022, during which he led the Blue Devils to five nati ...

. As the team's star player his final two seasons, he led the Blue Devils to the first two national titles in school history. A four-year starter, he also contributed to their runner-up finish his sophomore year and Final Four appearance in his freshman year. Thus, in total, he played 23 out of a maximum possible 24 NCAA tournament games, winning 21; both are records. For his career, Laettner averaged 16.6 points and 7.8 rebounds per game while making almost half of his

three-pointers A three-point field goal (also 3-pointer, three, or trey) is a Field goal (basketball), field goal in a basketball game made from beyond the three-point line, a designated arc surrounding the basket. A successful attempt is worth three points, i ...

.Laettner's Duke and NBA statistics
at basketball-reference.com He scored 21.5 points per game his senior season, garnering every major national player of the year award; Duke retired his No. 32 jersey later that year. His career is widely regarded among the best in college history, and he is enshrined in the

National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame The National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Kansas City, Missouri, is a hall of fame and museum dedicated to men's college basketball. The museum is an integral portion of the College Basketball Experience created by the National ...

NCAA tournament records

*Most points scored: 407 *Most

free throw In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points by shooting from behind the free-throw line (informally known as the foul line or the charity stripe), a line situated at the end of the restricted area. Free throws ...

s made: 142 *Most free throw attempts: 167 *Most games won: 21 *Most games played: 23

Clutch performances

Laettner had several clutch performances in the NCAA tournament. His most famous was the 1992 regional final against

, which was foreshadowed by the 1990 regional final against

UConn The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from ...

; 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 The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the University of Nevada from 1957 to 1969. It includes th ...

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 Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...

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 In basketball and other such timed sports, a buzzer beater is a shot that is taken before the game clock of a quarter, a half (if the half is the second one, then, a game), or an overtime period expires but does not go in the basket until after t ...

turn-around jumper that has since become known as simply

The Shot The Shot was a basketball play that occurred during a 1989 playoff game between the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It took place on May 7, 1989 at Richfield Coliseum in Richfield Township, ...

. Over the course of the game, he shot a perfect ten of ten

field goals A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. The entire ba ...

and ten of ten

s 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". The game-winning shot against Kentucky became a

cultural icon A cultural icon is a person or an artifact that is identified by members of a culture as representative of that culture. The process of identification is subjective, and "icons" are judged by the extent to which they can be seen as an authentic ...

, having been frequently televised in college basketball montages. Several companies have also featured it in their commercials. In 2006 ''

The Best Damn Sports Show Period ''The Best Damn Sports Show Period'' was an American sports television show that aired on Fox Sports Net and Comcast SportsNet. The show regularly featured irreverent and opinionated interviews with top athletes, coaches, celebrities, and entertai ...

'' ranked it the fifth most memorable moment in sports history.

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 ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). Th ...

online poll. This led to ESPN's creation of the 30 for 30 documentary '' I Hate Christian Laettner'' that explored five factors which the filmmakers believe explain this widespread and persistent hatred: race, privilege, bullying, greatness, and physical appearance. 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 In basketball, a technical foul (colloquially known as a "T" or a "tech") is any infraction of the rules penalized as a foul which does not involve physical contact during the course of play between opposing players on the court, or is a foul by a ...

; Laettner expressed regret for his misconduct but believed that ejection would have been too harsh a consequence.

Professional career

Drafted third overall by the

, Laettner played 13 years in the NBA, from 1992 to 2005, scoring 11,121 points and grabbing 5,806 rebounds. 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 The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...

. His time on the Hawks was his most successful NBA team experience, twice reaching the second round of the playoffs. Despite his achievements, Laettner's NBA career was characterized by relative transience. He played for six different teams, was traded six times, and never spent more than three full seasons anywhere. In 2004, he was suspended for several games for using marijuana.CBC Sports
"NBA suspends Wizards' Laettner"
January 15, 2004. Accessed February 6, 2008.

National team career

As the national player of the year, Laettner was the only collegian selected for the prestigious "Dream Team" that won the 1992 Olympic gold medal in a dominant fashion. He averaged 4.8 points per game. The team is considered one of the greatest in sports history and was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame,

, and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Post-NBA basketball

Laettner maintains a close friendship with Duke teammate Brian Davis. They have pursued several business ventures together, including real-estate development in

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham *County Durham, an English county * Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States *Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...

, a Major League Soccer team, and an unsuccessful attempt to purchase the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference ...

. Some legal problems, primarily regarding unpaid debts, have also occurred. In 2010, Laettner was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a member of the 1992 Dream Team. Since 2011 he has operated numerous youth basketball training camps. He also played one season in a semi-pro league and briefly served as an assistant coach in the NBA Development League. For ''The Z Team'', an

Olympic Channel Olympic Channel is an over-the-top Internet television service operated by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It was launched on August 21, 2016, alongside the closing of the 2016 Summer Olympics. The service aims to maintain year-round ...

reality show that has former Olympic athletes help struggling sports teams, he worked with the

Garinger High School Garinger High School (sometimes referred to simply as Garinger or The G) is a high school located in Charlotte, North Carolina. History Garinger was in essence the relocation of Central High School, making it one of the oldest remaining schools i ...

boys basketball team for a week.

Personal life

Laettner lives in

Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida Ponte Vedra Beach is a wealthy unincorporated seaside community and suburb of Jacksonville, Florida in St. Johns County, Florida, United States. Located southeast of downtown Jacksonville and north of St. Augustine, it is part of the Jackson ...

, and is an avid

muskellunge The muskellunge ''(Esox masquinongy)'', often shortened to muskie, musky or lunge is a species of large freshwater predatory fish native to North America. It is the largest member of the pike family, Esocidae. Origin of name The name "muskell ...

fisherman. He is divorced with three children. He has donated large sums to his alma maters.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, 81 , , 81 , , 34.9 , , .474 , , .100 , , .835 , , 8.7 , , 2.8 , , 1.3 , , 1.0 , , 18.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 70 , , 67 , , 34.7 , , .448 , , .240 , , .783 , , 8.6 , , 4.4 , , 1.2 , , 1.2 , , 16.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 81 , , 80 , , 34.2 , , .489 , , .325 , , .818 , , 7.6 , , 2.9 , , 1.2 , , 1.1 , , 16.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 44 , , 44 , , 34.5 , , .486 , , .290 , , .816 , , 6.9 , , 2.9 , , .9 , , 1.0 , , 18.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, 30 , , 27 , , 32.6 , , .489 , , .000 , , .823 , , 7.9 , , 2.3 , , 1.0 , , .9 , , 14.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 82 , , 38.3 , , .486 , , .352 , , .816 , , 8.8 , , 2.7 , , 1.2 , , .8 , , 18.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 74 , , 49 , , 30.8 , , .485 , , .222 , , .864 , , 6.6 , , 2.6 , , 1.0 , , 1.0 , , 13.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

, 16 , , 0 , , 21.1 , , .358 , , .333 , , .772 , , 3.4 , , 1.5 , , .9 , , .8 , , 7.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 82 , , 29.8 , , .473 , , .292 , , .812 , , 6.7 , , 2.3 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , 12.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

, 53 , , 35 , , 17.5 , , .511 , , .333 , , .817 , , 4.0 , , 1.3 , , .8 , , .5 , , 7.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, 25 , , 13 , , 29.3 , , .491 , , .300 , , .844 , , 6.1 , , 2.3 , , 1.2 , , .8 , , 13.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 57 , , 48 , , 25.3 , , .464 , , .200 , , .868 , , 5.3 , , 2.6 , , 1.1 , , .4 , , 7.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 76 , , 66 , , 29.1 , , .494 , , .125 , , .833 , , 6.6 , , 3.1 , , 1.1 , , .5 , , 8.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 48 , , 18 , , 20.5 , , .465 , , .286 , , .800 , , 4.8 , , 1.9 , , .8 , , .6 , , 5.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

, 49 , , 0 , , 15.1 , , .582 , , .143 , , .763 , , 2.7 , , .8 , , .7 , , .3 , , 5.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 868 , , 692 , , 29.7 , , .480 , , .261 , , .820 , , 6.7 , , 2.6 , , 1.1 , , .8 , , 12.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star , 1 , , 0 , , 24.0 , , .600 , , , , 1.000 , , 11.0 , , 2.0 , , 1.0 , , 1.0 , , 7.0

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;", 1996 , style="text-align:left;”,

, 10 , , 10 , , 33.4 , , .484 , , .333 , , .704 , , 6.9 , , 1.5 , , 1.2 , , 1.0 , , 15.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...

, style="text-align:left;”,

, 10 , , 10 , , 40.3 , , .418 , , .190 , , .857 , , 7.2 , , 2.6 , , 1.0 , , .8 , , 17.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...

, style="text-align:left;”,

, 4 , , 0 , , 21.8 , , .343 , , .000 , , .882 , , 4.3 , , 1.0 , , 1.5 , , .3 , , 9.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...

, style="text-align:left;”,

, 5 , , 0 , , 24.6 , , .426 , , , , .786 , , 2.8 , , 2.2 , , .8 , , .2 , , 10.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...

, style="text-align:left;”,

, 3 , , 3 , , 25.0 , , .412 , , , , .750 , , 5.0 , , 2.0 , , .0 , , .3 , , 6.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2005 , style="text-align:left;”,

, 13 , , 0 , , 10.5 , , .500 , , .000 , , .833 , , 1.9 , , .5 , , .3 , , .0 , , 2.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 45 , , 23 , , 25.7 , , .432 , , .179 , , .794 , , 4.7 , , 1.5 , , .8 , , .5 , , 10.5

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 1988–89 , style="text-align:left;",

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...

, 36 , , 16 , , 16.9 , , .723 , , 1.000 , , .727 , , 4.7 , , 1.2 , , 1.0 , , .8 , , 8.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1989–90 , style="text-align:left;",

, 38 , , 38 , , 29.9 , , .511 , , .500 , , .836 , , 9.6 , , 2.2 , , 1.6 , , 1.1 , , 16.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1990–91 Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 '' Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since t ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 39 , , 39 , , 30.2 , , .575 , , .340 , , .802 , , 8.7 , , 1.9 , , 1.9 , , 1.1 , , 19.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1991–92 , style="text-align:left;",

, 35 , , 35 , , 32.2 , , .575 , , .557 , , .815 , , 7.9 , , 2.0 , , 2.1 , , .9 , , 21.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 148 , , 128 , , 27.4 , , .574 , , .485 , , .806 , , 7.8 , , 1.8 , , 1.6 , , 1.0 , , 16.6

Awards and honors

;NBA *

NBA All-Star The National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game is an annual exhibition basketball game. It is the main event of the NBA All-Star Weekend. Originally, the All-Star Game featured a conference-based format, featuring a team composed of ...

() *

NBA All-Rookie First Team The NBA All-Rookie Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1962–63 NBA season to the top rookies during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the NBA head coaches who are not allowed to vote for player ...

() ;USA Basketball * Summer Olympics gold medal winner ( 1992) * Pan American Games bronze medal winner (

) *

FIBA World Championship The FIBA Basketball World Cup, also known as the FIBA World Cup of Basketball or simply the FIBA World Cup, between 1950 and 2010 known as the FIBA World Championship, is an international basketball competition contested by the senior men's nat ...

bronze medal winner (

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicist ...

) * Tournament of the Americas gold medal winner ( 1992) * Tournament of the Americas silver medal winner (

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxon Valdez oil tanker runs ...

) * Goodwill Games silver medal winner (

) ;NCAA * 2× NCAA champion (

, 1992) *

NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player At the conclusion of the NCAA men's and women's Division I basketball championships (the "Final Four" tournaments), a media panel selects a Most Outstanding Player (MOP). It is usually awarded to a member of the championship team. There have been ...

(1991) * Consensus National College Player of the Year (1992) * Consensus first-team All-American ( 1992) * Consensus second-team All-American (

) * 2× NCAA final Four All-Tournament Team) (1991, 1992) * ACC Player of the Year (1992) * ACC Player of the Year (1992) * 2×

ACC Athlete of the Year The Atlantic Coast Conference Athlete of the Year award is given to the male and female athlete who show extraordinary talent throughout the entire season. The award is decided by members of the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association. Anthony J. ...

(1991, 1992) * 2× First-team All-ACC (1991, 1992) * Second-team All-ACC (1990) * ACC tournament MVP 1992 *

Oscar Robertson Trophy The Oscar Robertson Trophy is given out annually to the outstanding men's college basketball player by the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA). The trophy is considered to be the oldest of its kind and has been given out since 195 ...

(1992) *

NABC Player of the Year The NABC Player of the Year is an award given annually by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) to recognize the top player in men's college basketball. The award has been given since the 1974–75 season to National Collegiate Athl ...

(1992) *

John R. Wooden Award The John R. Wooden Award is an award given annually to the most outstanding men's and women's college basketball players. The program consists of the men's and women's Player of the Year awards, the Legends of Coaching award, and recognizing the ...

(1992) *

Naismith College Player of the Year The Naismith College Player of the Year is an annual basketball award given by the Atlanta Tipoff Club to the top men's and women's collegiate basketball players. It is named in honor of Dr. James Naismith, the inventor of basketball. History an ...

(1992) * No. 32 jersey retired by Duke in 1992 ;Media * ''Sporting News'' College Player of the Year (1992) * AP College Basketball Player of the Year (1992) ;Halls of Fame * Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (class of 2010 as a member of the "Dream Team") * U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame (class of 2009 as a member of the "Dream Team") *

(class of 2017 as a member of the "Dream Team") * College Basketball Hall of Fame (class of 2010) * National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame (class of 2008)Christian Laettner
at the Polish Sports HOF

Notes

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Laettner, Christian 1969 births Living people 1990 FIBA World Championship players All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players American people of Polish descent American soccer chairmen and investors American sportspeople in doping cases Atlanta Hawks players Basketball players at the 1991 Pan American Games Basketball players at the 1992 Summer Olympics Basketball players from New York (state) Catholics from New York (state) Centers (basketball) Competitors at the 1990 Goodwill Games Dallas Mavericks players Detroit Pistons players Doping cases in basketball Duke Blue Devils men's basketball players Fort Wayne Mad Ants coaches Goodwill Games medalists in basketball McDonald's High School All-Americans Medalists at the 1991 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1992 Summer Olympics Miami Heat players Minnesota Timberwolves draft picks Minnesota Timberwolves players National Basketball Association All-Stars National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame inductees Olympic gold medalists for the United States in basketball Pan American Games bronze medalists for the United States Pan American Games medalists in basketball Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) People from Angola, New York Power forwards (basketball) Sportspeople from Erie County, New York United States men's national basketball team players Washington Wizards players

Early life

College

NCAA tournament records

Clutch performances

Widely reviled

Professional career

National team career

Post-NBA basketball

Personal life

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

Playoffs

College

Awards and honors

See also

Notes

References

External links