The older I get I have nothing but respect for Christian. He also had an underrated NBA career, played 13 years in the league and he averaged roughly 13 points and 7 boards.
And those averages are deceptive cause in his twilight years his productivity naturally dropped off. At the Hawks he was 17ppg 8rebs. Plus his defense. That Hawks team was one of my fav teams growing up.
Christian Laettner is a legend. What he did for us Duke fans is unforgettable. I had the privilege of watching him play at Duke as my family had season tickets to Duke basketball for decades. I saw him in a Japanese steakhouse back in Durham, NC one time, once he had gotten drafted and was at the time playing for the Atlanta Hawks. I was 9, asked him for his autograph, he didn't mind me interupting his date and gladly gave me an autograph and told me "Keep eating your Wheeties kid." Class act guy.
I met Mr. Laettner at the Final Four in Phoenix a few years ago and he was the nicest guy, very polite and actually thanked me for waiting in line to meet him. Proof that the on court persona can be totally different off the court
The lies started early. The perception was that of a rich kid. He wasn't. His mom was a teacher and his dad operated a printing press. Yep, he went to a private school, but received some financial aid, his parents sacrificed, and he worked as a janitor while there.
It's incredible the change Laettner's public image has gone through. One of the most hated athletes for 20 years but the past 10 years he has been loved by the media and casual fans that see a disarming middle aged man who casually chats about life. I'm a massive Duke fan so I love this man. He was incredible but I completely understand why people hated him.
Yes, I was and still am a huge Duke fan going back to 1988,,,,now going through and watching video of those years, I am astounded just how much Christian was hated and how much Coach K is hated, it seems to be growing.....I mean this man was and IS the greatest college coach(any sport) and the hate from some fans was incredible, I knew it was out there, but I was so repulsed to hear some of the things that were said(the UNC student body at that last game at chapel hill should have been reprimanded and told to shut up....you know Coach K would have not stood for that at Cameron), it just makes you wonder why people are like they are. Show respect when respect has been earned is rightfully deserved; thanks for posting this!
He went to Duke so he immediately got the reputation of being a spoiled rich kid. Meanwhile, in a real world, he wasn't. His mom was a teacher and his dad operated a printing press. Yep, he went to a private school, but received some financial aid, his parents sacrificed, and he worked as a janitor while there.
I hate dook but I met this guy at a Christian day on the campus. He was truly one of the nicest guys. He not only gave us kids autographs but also gave us food from his cookout and introduced us to Grant Hill his freshman season.
Hey man he does not have a good personality when I was in 6th grade I was on his sons basket ball team trever and he was the coach of my ymca team I remember the day I missed a shot he grabbed my arm and screamed at me
@Lord Hugenstein dude business ventures sometimes go bad. It's not like he stole money from them like it was some kind of investment firm scam. Anyone dealing in realty knows it's a risky business. You'd be happy to know that everything has been settled and each person has been repaid in full. Also he's still worth 10 million at the end of it all and his account is still growing. Nice try tho, bud.
Loved Grant on the pistons, my favorite player when I was a kid. Laettner even joined the pistons for a brief moment with Grant, 😂. I remember the pistons traded Grant Hill to the magic for Ben Wallace. I was a devastated. But it turned out to be one of the best trades Pistons ever did.
This man appeared in four straight Final Four's ('89-'92), in the modern era, let that marinate in your mind for a spell, that will never happen again for anyone in college basketball, not at the Division1 level anyway. There's lots of comments from people on how how they disliked/hated him, I'm not a Duke fan, but I always liked his attitude towards his opponents and the game. Once he crossed over the lines of the court, if you weren't on Duke's team, you were the enemy, and he would do whatever it took, to take you outta' the game mentally, if you allowed it, and to win the game, I always liked/respected that about Christian Laettner. By the way, he's a great interview as well, I always enjoy hearing his different views on whatever, a very articulate, intelligent man...
If it happens again, it'll be another guy who's kind of like Tyler Hansbrough: not super athletic, but skilled and won't be overwhelmed against lesser athletes.
@@realisrealite5554 Not saying it was the right decision, but I understand the likely reasoning behind why he was on the Dream Team. He was the most notable veteran player, on the best college basketball team at the time...
Kentucky fan here...even though be broke our hearts I still consider him one of the greatest college basketball players of all time. Dude is a winner and you can't hate winners!!!
I felt the same after watching this....nobody..NOBODY can deny he was an incredible college basketball player....one of the best ever (can't put him ahead of Lew Alcindor)....
I love the way he talked about his Olympics experience. Like a kid just wanting to play with his basketball heroes, legends in fact. No time for talking when you can be playing ball. That's cool. And the way he says they wanted to see if he could be a good rookie...know his place and that is so honest and real and he said it with fondness and not a hint of resentment. There is a process and like it or not he wasn't so vain, like the haters say, to put in his dues.
He knew his place on that squad as the rookie. He was surrounded by legends. If Larry Bird asks/tells you get his coffee 5 bocks away, you'd do it too.
@@luigivincenz3843 but at the Hall of Fame session where the 1992 Dream team was being honored, Magic was going thru each member of the team, giving them accolades, but then he saved Christian for last and said some snooty diss! It was a jerk move
@@RaptorsDot well before that the teams were always college kids because they were actually amateurs and then all the sudden it changed and to make it sort of a gesture and honor the fact many college players had been looking forward to being on the team in years between Olympics, they took one of the best college players and that was Christian. His numbers and team success and Coach K knew it. No other college player at that moment in time deserved it more. He was MVP, buzzer beater and more than that could be trusted to follow rules and expectations of Coaches, Olympic community, and the stars he was honored to be around. He earned it.
@Lord Hugenstein you obviously got out of context... They are talking about basketball and thats it... So if he did what u said he did then why is he not in jail? Lol u can hate laetnner all u want but the guy is a winner... Top 5 best college player ALL TIME. read them and weep kid. 🤘
@Lord Hugenstein well well well... STILL HATING ON LATENNER HEH... Lol 🤣 whose the idiot loser now who cant let go of the hate coz his team got beaten in the 90's lol by who else? .... CHRISTIAN LAETTNER 😂🤣😅 propped up by the NCAA he said.... Lol this idiot acts as if LAETTNER was on the bench or playing golf and still his stats are being padded and still winning championships lol 🤔🤨😜 and he has the audacity to call me a loser? Lol 🤭 #LOVELAETTNER
I remember when he was a freshman at Dook and they were playing Arizona. He stepped to the line and bricked two free throws, which delighted me as a Heels fan. But it was a very clear turning point. From then on, Laettner never blew a game again. He was a beast.
Being very honest, 99.9% of people have lived meaningless lives. Yes we were children, we went to school, we worked and maybe had a child. Very few people will remember us when we have passed and what we achieved. Definitely this is not the case for Christian Laettner. You see the great happiness and admiration people have when they remember his past. Without question, the achievements he had made his life truly meaningful.
Grant Hill was like a combination of Jordan and Pippen in terms of ability and style of play - what a talent. Zion is more raw and who knows where the ceiling is for that kid. But they are completely different players.
I was a huge fan of Chris,Grant Hill ,Bobby Hurley and that Duke squad Chris was the Truth a absolute beast in College and then he's always kept it a hunnid💯
People hated Christian because he was *that* good. He's the reason I started watching college basketball and now I am looking forward to tonight's Kansas/Villanova and Duke/NC matchups
Coach K said he may miss a shot be he'll never chock. And out of a possible 24 games in the tournament he went 21-2, he definitely deserves some respect.
Cant believe dude is 50, looks late 30's. He had elite competitive spirit in a less than mediocre body. Gotta respect guys like him who maxmize their potential with their tough minds. Legend.
"Less than mediocre" body? He is in the top 1% of all humans on the planet in terms of having the right body and athleticism to be a good basketball player.
Paul Singer He’s tall. He couldn’t jump over 12 inches and was slow. He was coordinated for a tall dude and had a nice jumper but, athletically...mediocre.
He bullied Bobby Hurley. But if you think about it he did it for what he thought was a good reason. He wanted Hurley to be tough. There is no doubt by his life and even this interview that Laetner is competitive.
Laettner was perfect against Kentucky. I also believe he was perfect from the floor and LINE against unlv in the 91 final four that people forget and that univ team was undefeated at the time. Greatest college player I ever seen in the clutch. Cool guy to.
Laetnner was not an average NBA player. He was a great player his first 6 seasons and had 18/9 his all-star season. He did that against an era of great big men. He was a beast, but definitely outclassed by Shaq who was drafted ahead of him.
Duke was there when I became a NCAA basketball fan. Laettner is my favorite college basketball player of all-time! Great interview. So down to earth and refreshing to see him here. He was a beast at Duke!!
As a lifelong UK fan i forgive him, but damn that shot still hurts watching it on replay. It's a moment I'll always remember where i was when it happened. Just realized this was 5 years ago...
Chris was actually a pretty dam good NBA player he was in the nba for alot of years he stayed longer than alot of the bigger names in the league like for instance Harold miner aka baby jordan💯
My first time seeing this interview. Up until now, I couldn't stand Christian Laettner only because I was ignorant to who he was. Dan Patrick allowed me to know something about how he actually is. He seems like a laid back, funny kind of guy. Awesome interview!