This led to him being traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, where he continued to struggle. Hardaway would never come close to another finals appearance as injuries took their toll on his body later in his career. Here are the top 10 stars, pairs, trios, and ensembles who never won a championship because of Michael Jordan. The Bulls finished off the Jazz at home in Game 6 when Jordan passed the ball to an open Steve Kerr for the title-clinching shot. He's one of the best players in the that country when he does that. Keep reading to find out! -Some argue that Laettners induction would be more about his accomplishments at Duke than anything he did as a professional player. ", Laettner on picking Duke: "You want to go to the best school you can go to, and one that you think has a good chance to do well all the time. Mar 28, 2019. Christian Laettner, Duke v. Kentucky, 1992 Elite Eight Arguably the most memorable play in the history of the tournament, Laettner's shot sunk Kentucky and allowed Duke to go on and win its . Oakley provided the muscle underneath and fortified the Knicks interior defense. Three of the four coaches are also enshrined. The Jazz had another chance in 1998 and they didnt waste time showing that they were a better team after their previous experience. Laettner ranks fifth all-time in Division I scoring at 24.3 points per game and fourth in rebounds at 10.0 rebounds per game. In addition, Laettner was never considered one of the best players in his generation. -He was never named an All-Star during his time in the NBA. Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Basketball Reference Database. He scored 31 points (13-25 from the field), grabbed 18 rebounds and had an unbelievable 16 blocked shots. He, too, was an All-Star. The Bulls had no answer for the 7-foot Georgetown alumnus. Sustaining excellence in men's college basketball is no easy task. He knew when to score and when to pass the ball. That buzzer-beater shocked the Cavaliers, one that the team would never recover from. Learn more and register. The Bulls were tested and hardened by the Pacers in the previous series that went to a Game 7 (see number 6 of this list). Christian Laettner enjoyed a successful college career with Duke, winning two National Championships. 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. Carlesimo out. Minnesota Timberwolves, 1st round (3rd pick, 3rd overall), 1992 NBA Draft, More Christian Laettner pages at Sports Reference. Mike Krzyzewski was in his 12th season as head coach at Duke in 1992. Related Read: Who is christian in after we fell? Christian Laettner was born on August 17, 1969. Christian Donald Laettner Looking back at the famous USA "Dream Team" basketball roster from 1992, Christian Laettner's name sticks out as a strange inclusion among Hall of Fame talents. He owns the most number of assists with 15,806 and steals with 3,265. The Bulls celebrated their 6th championship on Utahs home floor, keeping the Jazz from a championship once again. 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. Since he retired from the NBA in 2005, Laettner has largely stayed out of the public eye. Stockton, meanwhile, is the best pure point guard in league history. Hes a great scorer and an even better defender. Laettner, Hill, Bobby Hurley, Thomas Hill, Antonio Lang, Cherokee Parks, Brian Davis, and Erik Meek were drafted into the NBA, with Laettner, Hill, Hurley, and Parks ending up as lottery picks. Laettners NBA career ended in 2005, and he has not played professionally since. There are a few reasons why Laettners Hall of Fame case has been met with resistance. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NCAA or its member institutions. He played 13 seasons in the NBA for 6 different teams. You didn't know you were going to win until the buzzer went off.". In the end, Jordan could be seen breathing heavily and tugging at his shorts. 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. Plus he stayed all four years and graduated. Find out more. He averaged at least 16 points and seven rebounds in each of his first five years in the league. Duke had an out-of-bounds play with little time left on the shot clock when Laettner took a pass near the elbow. He made the Final Four in all four years of college and playedin the national championship game three consecutive years. 2 pick in the 2002 draft by the Chicago Bulls, had a short NBA career. Furthermore, his career was largely defined by his collegiate success rather than his professional accomplishments. The lucky passenger on the most dominant basketball team ever was Christian Laettner, and Shaq acknowledges it was the right choice to make, despite the fact he had just been selected no.1 in the Draft. Christian Laettner is best remembered for his outstanding college career at Duke, where he helped lead the team to two NCAA Championships. Starks was clueless on how to stop the rampaging Bull and he remained unshackled until the series was over. Of the 12 Dream Teamers, eight are individual Hall of Famers Charles Barkley, Larry Bird, Clyde Drexler, Patrick Ewing, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, David Robinson and John Stockton. He is also third all-time in total field goals made (2,759) and sixth all-time in assists (2,157). The eighth-seeded Wildcats defeated the Georgetown Hoyas, 66 to 64. Do you have a blog? As soon as his game developed beyond dunking to becoming a complete player, the Seattle Supersonics power forward showcased how far he had come in the 1996 NBA Finals. It's great, because he still has that kind of enthusiasm. Hindsight certainly makes the decision look strange. us, High School: Malone and Stockton were their usual sensational selves, taking the middle games for the Jazz to tie the series at two games apiece. He is a graduate of Indiana University. Abruptly, because of a sensational sophomore named Christian Laettner. More than any other franchise, Jordan owned the Cavaliers during his run towards a championship. The excitement over a letter from . Christian used to play basketball in his early years. He averaged 20.2 points and 7.8 rebounds per game, and shot an incredible 61.5% from the field. Laettner was always willing to do the dirty work and his rebounding totals reflect that. Game 6 was back in Utah and the Bulls ran into early problems when Pippen aggravated a back injury after dunking the ball on a play. He had one of the greatest college careers in the history of the game.. But even when His Airness couldnt take flight because of stomach flu in Game 5, he still managed to score 38 points, including the deciding three-pointer with about 25 seconds to go. 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. Amy Sancetta/AP. He was named to the All-Rookie team after averaging 18.2 points and 8.7 rebounds in his debut campaign. He enjoyed a lengthy NBA career, appearing in 868 games, scoring over 11,000 points and grabbing nearly 6,000 rebounds. But their championship windows, unfortunately, coincided with Jordans stranglehold on the Larry OBrien trophy. Laettner was named to the New York State High School Class C All-Tournament team after setting a tournament record with 40 rebounds in two games. Only 5.2 seconds remained, but that wasnt enough time for the Jazz to make a basket. It was an NCAA type game, a very intense game. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. Click here for the full list of the greatest NBA players who failed to win a ring. Christian Laettner is a retired American professional basketball player. 1. I wanted to face it again, I wanted to challenge it again. Jordan went to work once again. The following year, Jordan once again used his superhuman abilities to post insane averages in the semifinals, crushing the Sixers, 4-1. He made 2 All-Star game appearances, in 1997 and 1998, and won an Olympic gold medal as part of the famed Dream Team in 1992. It was the first U.S. loss in Olympic history, other than a highly disputed 51-50 defeat to the Soviets in 1972. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. 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. They were the most unfortunate of any franchise to have run into the Bulls during that stretch, facing them four times in six years. Laettner was born and raised in Buffalo, New York. ", Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski: "We recruited him for a long time. Laettner led Duke University to two NCAA titles, one runner-up finish and one final four appearances. Many people are surprised to learn that Christian Laettner didnt actually play in the NBA. His no. He averaged 16.0 points per game and 6.9 rebounds per game as a rookie and 15.1 points per game and 6.7 rebounds per game in his second season. Then there's the Kentucky game, when Laettner's iconic jumper lifted the Blue Devils past the Wildcats 104-103 in overtime and into the Final Four. Pandemonium ensued. While he did last 13 years in the league and did make an All-Star team, to Benjamin Hoffman of the New York Times. Laettner was a key player on some very good teams, including the Detroit Pistons and the Atlanta Hawks, and he helped those teams to a lot of success. Christian Laettner is best remembered for his time at Duke, where he helped lead the Blue Devils to back-to-back national championships in 1991 and 1992. The Dream Team went 8-0, averaging 117.2 points a game and winning by an average of 43.7. Get this Asheville Citizen-Times page for free from Monday, April 1, 1991 ; Baseball5D Sports Fax251-0585 Monday, April 1, 1991 Dnke. Christian Laettner is on Twitter at laettnerbball. His father told him to take the lead and let everyone else follow. 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. But Malone and Stockton werent done yet.