I met him in person a few times at church activities in NC. One of the nicest guys I've ever met

He was a great player in college and even though he wasn’t a NBA super star, he was one of those players every team would like to have.👍

Laettner's night vs. Kentucky is absolutely wild! Not only did he hit "that" shot, he hit every other shot he took that night, too. 31 pts. on 10-10 FG (1-1 3pt.) and 10-10 FT in a game your team won by a single point has to be among the most impressive stat lines in history.

An all-time great College Player, a good NBA Player, and one of the most HATED PLAYERS. Truth is Truth, and he had a great game.

This notion everyone thought Shaq was better in 1992 is pure nonsense. That was very debatable. It was some years later when people started to rewrite that history. Laettner compiled one of the most impressive college careers in NCAA history. No shame whatsoever in selecting him for the first Dream Team.

Legendary college career. He was a real good pro. He should be very proud with what he did on the court.

Laettner was basically Siakam with a little more physicality and finesse, but less versatility and spatial awareness on the court. It's a shame he didn't have the chance to play a proper second-option to a proper scoring or playmaking guard. He would have definitely done a lot better than he ultimately ended up doing.

4:30 Even in recent years, I remember Shaquille O'Neal saying that Christian Laettner was not a wrong choice (over him) for the Dream Team, because of what Laettner accomplished in college.

I liked him. Liked all those all-round above-average players. Another one: Tom Gugliotta. Clarence Whitherspoon too. Danny Manning.

This channel should be much larger.

It was so weird seeing Jordan and Laettner as starting teammates on the Wizards. Also '92 top 3 picks Shaq, Mourning and Laettner on the Heat that one year

I wasn't the biggest fan of his but Laettner had G. You gotta give credit where credit is due.

I hate how race seems to be a factor in everything, but most people that disliked his attitude or supposed “arrogance” have no problem with a non-white player who acts like that.

One of the greatest college basketball players EVER. Some people think he was a bust in the NBA because he never reached the level of dominance he had in college but he a had a decent 14 yr NBA career.

Firstly, Ive been a Duke fan since 1987, but like every comment, I will be as honest as I can. Laettner at Duke was absolutely amazing. He was the leader of one of the greatest teams in the history of the NCAA (1991/1992 Duke). Confident, great 3pt shooter (48%), and was skilled enough with his back to the basket to get you the points you need inside. More importantly...he won, and he won ALOT. He still holds the NCAA records for most career points in the NCAA tournament and most games played. In fact the only way someone could break Laettner's all time record in games played is to play in 4 straight NCAA championship games. In the NBA, he was one of those guys that can be labeled a "solid player". Now with that being said, I will be honest and tell you that Laettner's biggest issue was his athleticism. He was slow and in the NBA among some of the great athletes in the world, he wasnt able to keep up physically. He did alot of things well but wasnt going to take over a game like Shaq. Thats not to say he didnt do well, averaging 13 points and 7 rebounds a game in his career. The simple truth was he just wasnt.....great. In the end, Laettner had ALOT of hype surrounding him and just didnt live up to it, but his ability as a basketball player allowed him to play for 13 years in the NBA.

He was good, not a star or a franchise player, but pretty solid actually. He's a good 2nd or 3rd option on a contender. He's like the Kris Middleton or Deandre Ayton type of player who's a good 3rd option. Solid and reliable

Great job on this video. Laitner was a complicated guy and assessing his career is far more complicated than most people want to acknowledge. Was he as good of a pro as he was a college player? No, but he was a very good pro. Most people just can't seem to judge him on the merits of his pro career alone without dragging in the expectations they had for him coming out of college. Was he a jerk? Yeah. But many of us were in our 20's. He matured and by all accounts is a great guy now.

Everybody knew Christian Laettner''s name in the early 90's. Some hated him, but all the other's weren't sure what to think of him. Thanks for the vid!

I still remember the 30 for 30 about the Fab Five. They all thought Laettner was overrated before they played him, but after they played against him, they thought he could ball, haha!... whoops, there’s the video! My bad!

Laettner ...had the game to be great .....people never look at his how many minutes he played per game ....or lack thereof ....and how good a defensive player he was ...

I thought he was a very nice addition when the Hawks had him.

Laettner was a great college player in a really good NBA player! Battled with Shaquille O'Neal often and college owned him !!!

the college guy was gonna be a token on the dream team either way, and laettner was WAY more deserving. right call.

He was a really good player . Underapracieted.

Keep it short, a huge fan! Worst things was being drafted by Minnesota! Fearless competitor and great person!

I think you nailed it when you said "by the time Laettner got to NBA, his name was already fully developed(in the college) he never really improved afterward". He was an intelligent and fundamentally solid player, but lack of physical gift like Shaq and Zo to compete in NBA. And also, I feel that Laettner seemed to have lost his confidence a bit when he got to NBA(probably due to his miserable experience with T-Woves), later in his career, on so many occasions when he could have just shoot the ball he chose to pass instead.

Laettner is a perfect example of how important *team* is in this team sport. We like to highlight superstar players, because the media likes to tell stories, and it's easier to focus a story on a single protagonist. Was Christian Laettner a superstar who could single-handedly carry a franchise to a NBA Championship? No. But no such Superstar exists.

12 yr old me watching him play on duke with Bobby grant and the bunch was something special. Unlv and then the fab 5 they all had some great games. Special absolutely and laetner still had an amazing pro career. People hated him lol

The 90s were my prime for following the NBA and Christian was never bad, but he also did not have as high a ceiling as Shaq and Zo and Penny and Grant, etc. He reached his ceiling as a baller while still in college and that was good enough to have a 13 year career in the NBA. He was very steady and reliable and a quite a few teams wanted him as a piece, just not THE piece. He has nothing to be ashamed of. Ironically, I think he would have been even better in today's NBA.

Laettner was born about 15-20 years too early. He could’ve been a poor man’s Nowitzki if he had come into the league at a time when guys that size were allowed to be stretch 4’s instead of being pigeonholed as centers and power forwards. He could’ve even played small forward and been a matchup problem because his size he could play over the top of most players at that position. He could handle the rock pretty decent he could pass and shoot from the outside. If they had let him play the game most suited to his skill set instead of trying to force him into a role he didn’t fit he might’ve had a better career.

I’ve been a Duke fan just because of him! I’ve been a fan since the Kentucky game winning shot!

He had a better NBA career than he gets credit for. Unfortunately, he's better remembered for two things: 1) His spectacular college career, and 2) being the asterisk* on the Dream Team ---- the college guy, the only one not in the basketball Hall of Fame.

College Player: Top Five of All Time

He was a solid NBA rotational player, which is an accomplishment in itself. Many flame out or vanish after a few years.

Lattener game was ahead of his time. He be amazing in today's game.

Instead of letting him play his game, they turned him into a journeyman. Too many teams without a true big man so Laettner had to step in and wear many hats. He's a ballsy dude and very fun to watch.

He was really good👍. Solid player

Don't like how you ended this one.... needs a better career recap Sean!

Sean. I love the theme music.

When they picked Laettner to play on the Dream Team, the real story was that they just didn´t have no use for a third big man - Ewing and Robinson were simply more than enough of what was needed in the paint. Implementing Shaq would have been nothing but jugglery, disturbing the players on other positions and the game itsself.

Thanks for the video

Hated him but he literally had a legendary career…like Walton, Jabbar-esque

I always thought it was cool when they played for the Heat and were all on the floor at the same time.

He seems solid as heck.

Laettner showed respect to everyone on the Dream team, and when Jordan, Bird and Magic hazed him daily by telling him to grab their laundry, food and coffee, he took it like a man. He knew his place and everyone on the team had a positive opinion of CL after. They actually thought he was gonna b*tch about it, but they thought wrong.

There were a lot of really incredible college stars that amounted to a lot less in the NBA. Anyone remember Calbert Cheaney? 13 years in the NBA, fair chance he played for your favorite team, and, still, the only people that remember him are Indiana University fans.

Gave Duke their first two chips while single handedly making them the most hated team in college sports. Good work, CL!

I remember him as the whitest guy in NBA JAM

He was good at the end of his carrer. Very good to watch.

As a Kentucky Fan and resident he was one of the best college players ever,.

I remember that buzzer beater

The greatest college player of all time

1992 dream has no SHAQ but Christian Laettner so u know how good he is

It’s crazy the game against Kentucky he didn’t miss a shot

*The title of this video SOUNDED like it was made for LeBum*

Very humble cool dude😎

He was the best college basketball player at that time and deserved his spot on the dream team

a good player , never been in the right place for 20/10 seasons

Hey man I like your channel and I respect what you do..... I'm 45 I grew up watching the '80s and 90s myself. I say that to say this..... If you comfortable enough with the title of your video being a true statement....then you should be comfortable enough with somebody asking why it's true.... I didn't say anything controversial and I didn't disparage anybody. You should put it back bro.... Especially because of the times we live in.....

Funny how much his face looked so much like Jason priestly’s was and both were at the heights of their careers about the same time

As a kid in the early 90s, I thought Laettner was such a villain. As an adult in my now-40s, I see how really solid he was in both college and pros. He was never going to be one to go supernova for 30-40 points a night. Yet he was a component that would be welcome to any squad.

Always liked Christian Laettner. He was a solid pro for a long time. People who hate him, hate him based on a lie that the sports media put out there.

you said he kept being the same, avg around 18 ppg and 8-9 rpg. but with ppg, remember, his highest avg shots/game was 13. when stars avg 20+ ppg, were and are taking more like 18. So if Laettner was able to take 18 shots a game, he would have avg 24+ ppg. Look at KG, who replaced Laettner. he only avg 20+ ppg when taking 16-19 shots a game???? Laettner was never really given the chance to be a star. after Laettner was drafted in 92, who did the Wolves draft after? Isiah Rider, Donyell Marshall, KG. If Minnesota made him their star, like they did with KG, he would have been avg 16-19 shots a game, would have avg 22+ ppg. instead of drafting Rider, why not reunite him with Hurley? Altho, MINN was also very unlucky with draft lottery. think about it. 93, they had #5 pick, you know who was #4? Jamal Mashburn. 94, they had the #4 pick, you know who was #3? Grant Hill.

Old school ball...the ONLY basketball worth watching. 👍 Besides maybe street ball.

can we please get some love for RASHEED WALLACE. he is the most slept on power forward

Nice job, Sean. It’s good that you revisit the careers and honor players who were solid, even if they weren’t top rung. Also, Laetner’s career is in a essential way typical of many college greats who fail to perform at the same level in the pros. By the way, Charles Barkley now believes the Olympic team should be reserved for college players. I think he’s right- I never appreciated the Dream Team, to be honest. Of course, they were bound to dominate.

I dunno....hated is a strong word. He was resented a bit because he was given a place on the Dream Team which he did not deserve. But he was a good player, if not great, and he seems like a stand-up guy.

Everyone is hard on Christian Laetner. He actually had a amazing college career and a decent pro career. And he's definitely not soft, he was blocking shots, getting steals, and making big shots.

That last guy. I can sense Chris wanted to smack him

Dont understand why hate any player unless he did smth personal to you..... did not even know the man's voice till the Dream team doc....

Seriously had no idea he played at Detroit or Washington. Lost track of him after Atlanta.

I wouldn't compare Laettner with Bird as a pro, more like Laimbeer, if Laimbeer'd never been traded to Detroit and put with right coach/teammates. Dude was mean and wanted to win in college, he just never found his role and motivation as a pro. His head stomp on Eric Montross was just vicious!

Shaq did not belong on the Dream Team. At the time of choosing a college player, there was no better choice than Laettner. Not only did he own Shaq in college when they faced off, he was one of the most decorated college players ever and, perhaps the most important factor that Jerry Angelo considered when selecting Laettner… his international playing experience from the Pan American games. Laettner was the right choice and had the best attitude about being on that team. He had no problems carrying bags and being the team bitch. The perfect selection.

The best Duke player ever in my opinion.

His NBA career was similar to how Pistol Pete got dealt. High profile guy, coming out of college with lights all over him, goes to a series of sucky teams with sucky coaches and he's got a target on his back. If only he could have been like James Worthy and gone to a SUPER team coming out of college, he'd have had a better career and would have had time to develop as a player. People forget, Jordan, in all his greatness could not carry a team to a finals on his OWN and just imagine if the Bulls had dumped him off to some other scrub team and that was all his career was, a series of dumps to the highest bidder/most desperate franchise. Remember Vince Carter? The stories of awesome college guys that have disappointing NBA careers are a dime a dozen. His draft class? Shaq went to the Magic...uh, just LOOK at that stacked team!!

Tell me everyone wouldn't take a 4 like him right now

Best college player of all 4yrs I’ve seen.

Angola, New York? Never heard of it.

Great video Chris and Lena was a pretty good Pro

Does not take into account that he ruptured his Achilles after his first year in Atlanta and never the same physically

The main reason I wish they selected Shaq over Laettner was just so we could say the Dream Team had 12 legit Naismith Hall of Famers. But other than that, it's hard to argue with the selection. A guy who was that good in college earned his spot.

My defining memory: the dude who couldn’t convert white chocolate’s elbow pass

Laettner was an undersized big man for that time. Had he gotten into the league during the mid-2000's he'd be a star. He had a game similar, but not as good, as Dirk. Big guys didn't play all over the court and drive to the hoop during his era. They posted up and game was played below the free throw line. Overall a solid player.

Basically your criticism is that Laettner didn't average more ppg and rebounds in the pros than he did in college. Like 99 percent of guys in the NBA.

In his autobiography, “Dare to Dream,” HOF coach Jim Calhoun described Laettner as “the dirtiest player we’ve ever played against. Calhoun criticized no other opponent in his entire book. Laettner had a great college career. He was not a great pro. He was a let down. With all the hype, he was expected to be a franchise caliber player. He was nowhere near that, just decent.

No coach had the balls to actually allow him to score 20 ppg per game ..

He was a very solid player but people just had different expectation of him. People benchmarked his college years + Team USA, people benchmarked Shaq and Zo, people benchmarked other PF/C during his time which were stacked, Hakeem, Ewing, David Robinson, Karl Malone, Charles Barkley, Dennis Rodman, Shawn Kemp, Derrick Coleman in addition to Shaq and Zo, they expected him to turn into Larry Bird 2.0, etc. It also didn't help that popularity was heading towards G/SF like Kobe, Grant Hill, Pippen, Penny, Kidd, Iverson, Stackhouse, Stoudamire, Marbury and MJ's return just amplified that even more.

Whats that song at 8 minutes?

2:53 whoa! I think today a player would get arrested.?

Christian Laettner....The American Toni Kukoc, but with no Jordan or Pippen.

He looks like he had a solid game.

College superstar, and solid pro. He was never going to take over an NBA game but he wasn't deserving of the hate

Next show about Danilovic please :)

I talked to him on Facebook. He was a good player. He got injured people . 1998 injury

Matt Barnes sounds like a young 50 Cent LOL

I didn't hate him. I thought he was his own force on the court. His matches against Rodman was must see tv. He knew his role, and he played it wholeheartedly. I mean, MJ respected him. What else you want?

hated literally just for being that good lol happened to me on a very minor scale in high school

For a short time, he was actually my favorite nba player.. This was during his all star season in atlanta.. I was maybe 13 or 14.. I would even argue that he was better than olajuwon.. lol.. im 37 now turning 38..

Great ball player.

Wow and against Kurt Thomas who was no joke