One roster spot was set aside for a collegian, the recipient of the 1992 Player of the Year award. Had nothing to do with Coach K. Coach K doesn't singlehandedly select the player of the year. Laettner received the nod over O'Neal because he was a better player in college.
Don't know much about Shaq-fu's college career, but I do know that Laettner could, and did, shoot with extreme accuracy -- from the post position, the free throw line, from the outside, and (obviously) in clutch situations where a bucket was required. Laettner, during his years in college, WAS college basketball. One point point. Yep, one more: tall kids growing up playing hoops should pattern themselves after Laettner, because not everyone is going to be as physically imposing as Shaq-fu. ... Love that nickname. Shaq-fu, there it is again!
Anyone that says Shaq deserved the spot over Laettner just plain didn't see Laettner play. He was the Michael Jordan of College Basketball. He played in 4 final fours, 3 National Champ games, and won 2 National champs.... he was the National player of the year, and clutchest player in college hoops. He authored 2 of the clutchest shots in NCAA History. Shaq was too raw, he lacked the footwork and fundamentals, while Laettner had great post moves, great footwork, can hit the outside shot (including the 3) and made 80% of his free throws. Shaq, at the time, was a pure physical specimen that plainly overpowered the competition and dunked over them. His foul trouble, and lack of free throws alone made him the weaker player. On top of that, Laettner beat him in their 2 head to head matchups. Shaq eventually had a better pro career but lets not forget Laettner was King of College Hoops. Laettner deserved it, hands down.
+HarryKronikjr You sound silly. What you forget is that they had no reason to even put a college player on the team. The league wanted badly to promote their new white hope. So they forced him on the roster. Just ask yourself... if Laettner was so much better, then why wasn't he drafted 1st overall? He wasn't even taken 2nd overall. Consensus was that Shaq was the better individual player and prospect. Laettner on the other hand was the golden boy. And since neither player was actually going to play, you might as well put the white guy on the team. You don't want it to look like team Africa. Same reason Mullin made the team.
+Kingston Hawke I sound silly?? Laettner was the better COLLEGE player. That's not even up for debate. Look at their numbers. Look at they head to head matchups. Even Shaq admits that he underestimated Laettner's game... Until they got on the court with him and realized he had game. Same with Michigan and the fab five. But being the better college player doesn't mean you're gonna be the better pro. Laettner was a forward and both Shaq and Zo were centers. At the time centers were deemed more important to build a team around. On top of that nba has different rules than college hoops.... Sometimes a kid is just better suited to one over the other. Think MJ and the player he was in college over the player he was in the NBA. Same with grant hill... a superstar player in college. But the NBA game is so better suited for his style of play that he takes off and becomes a mega super star. Everyone knew Shaq was worth the risk of taking at number one. He had more upside in NBA than Laettner
I'm not gonna argue who was the better individual because it's not important. But just so you know, production doesn't automatically make you better. If Shaq went to Duke and played with Hill, he would be the one with multiple championships. About the real topic... You've made half of my argument for me. We agree that Shaq was CLEARLY the better prospect. It wasn't even close (even Webber was better than Laetner). So why invest this phenomenal and undeserved opportunity on the prospect you are sure to get a lesser return on? Obviously whichever of them made the team would hardly see the court. And the NBA is a business after all. In a world as racist towards blacks as this one was in 92 (and still is). They didn't want to send a near all black team. Therefore Laettner got the nod because he was white. And honestly it was probably the right business move. Similar to Nash's undeserved MVPs, and the dress code. All measures to make the primarily black NBA appeal to a primarily white fan base. This is business 101. I'm not mad. I just think it's silly that people like you will lie to yourself. Imagine if Shaq was white and Laetner was black. That's the real test. Do you think they'd pick a black Lartner over a white Shaq? White Shaq would've been treated like the second coming of Jesus.
In 1992 everyone thought that Christian Laettner will be the next Larry Bird or better than Bird himself.He was indeed beside Coach K the face of Duke Basketball at the time and he was the King of College Basketball so he deserves to get the spot at the dream team
They didn’t need Shaq at the time lattiner was better for that team quicker but ya in hine site knowing how good shaq was he would have been a better choice and prob could have been a better dream team haha
amazing how some believe laettner being more deserving than Shaq is garbage. Shaq was the more dominant player in college as wee as in the league. Shaq would become the rookie if the year and a perennial all star. laettner was a rotation player most of his career. Shaq would have a died another overwhelming athlete and could have learned a lot from Robinson and Ewing as well as from jordan, magic and the others.
+chitownmo The selection was based off their college career...nobody knew how they were gonna pan out in the NBA. Laettner was definitely more deserving than any other college player at the time...he's one of the top 5 college players ever. It was an easy pick
Laettner thought that Shaq might have had difficulty not being THE star as he was on LSU. Laettner thought his experience on the team-oriented Duke would transfer better to the Dream Team.
All this discussion over which college player should have been picked is pointless. NO college player should have been picked. He was a token gesture who barely played and who clearly did not belong on the team, period. There was no real point in having a college player on that team. That said, he seems to have handled it with grace and class, and what more could we ask for from a kid who was in way over his head?
Laettner was probably top-5 college player of all-time! He deserved to be on the DT!
Could you imagine being in college and then you're playing in the Olympics with all these Legends
One roster spot was set aside for a collegian, the recipient of the 1992 Player of the Year award. Had nothing to do with Coach K. Coach K doesn't singlehandedly select the player of the year. Laettner received the nod over O'Neal because he was a better player in college.
Don't know much about Shaq-fu's college career, but I do know that Laettner could, and did, shoot with extreme accuracy -- from the post position, the free throw line, from the outside, and (obviously) in clutch situations where a bucket was required. Laettner, during his years in college, WAS college basketball. One point point. Yep, one more: tall kids growing up playing hoops should pattern themselves after Laettner, because not everyone is going to be as physically imposing as Shaq-fu. ... Love that nickname. Shaq-fu, there it is again!
The tougher the opponent, the better he played too.
Anyone that says Shaq deserved the spot over Laettner just plain didn't see Laettner play. He was the Michael Jordan of College Basketball. He played in 4 final fours, 3 National Champ games, and won 2 National champs.... he was the National player of the year, and clutchest player in college hoops. He authored 2 of the clutchest shots in NCAA History. Shaq was too raw, he lacked the footwork and fundamentals, while Laettner had great post moves, great footwork, can hit the outside shot (including the 3) and made 80% of his free throws. Shaq, at the time, was a pure physical specimen that plainly overpowered the competition and dunked over them. His foul trouble, and lack of free throws alone made him the weaker player. On top of that, Laettner beat him in their 2 head to head matchups. Shaq eventually had a better pro career but lets not forget Laettner was King of College Hoops. Laettner deserved it, hands down.
HarryKronikjr Plus his free throws was crap
+HarryKronikjr You sound silly. What you forget is that they had no reason to even put a college player on the team. The league wanted badly to promote their new white hope. So they forced him on the roster. Just ask yourself... if Laettner was so much better, then why wasn't he drafted 1st overall? He wasn't even taken 2nd overall. Consensus was that Shaq was the better individual player and prospect. Laettner on the other hand was the golden boy. And since neither player was actually going to play, you might as well put the white guy on the team. You don't want it to look like team Africa. Same reason Mullin made the team.
+Kingston Hawke Shaq was a center and therefore more important to a team. 2 centers were drafted before MJ because they were center.
+Kingston Hawke I sound silly?? Laettner was the better COLLEGE player. That's not even up for debate. Look at their numbers. Look at they head to head matchups. Even Shaq admits that he underestimated Laettner's game... Until they got on the court with him and realized he had game. Same with Michigan and the fab five. But being the better college player doesn't mean you're gonna be the better pro. Laettner was a forward and both Shaq and Zo were centers. At the time centers were deemed more important to build a team around. On top of that nba has different rules than college hoops.... Sometimes a kid is just better suited to one over the other. Think MJ and the player he was in college over the player he was in the NBA. Same with grant hill... a superstar player in college. But the NBA game is so better suited for his style of play that he takes off and becomes a mega super star. Everyone knew Shaq was worth the risk of taking at number one. He had more upside in NBA than Laettner
I'm not gonna argue who was the better individual because it's not important. But just so you know, production doesn't automatically make you better. If Shaq went to Duke and played with Hill, he would be the one with multiple championships.
About the real topic... You've made half of my argument for me. We agree that Shaq was CLEARLY the better prospect. It wasn't even close (even Webber was better than Laetner). So why invest this phenomenal and undeserved opportunity on the prospect you are sure to get a lesser return on?
Obviously whichever of them made the team would hardly see the court. And the NBA is a business after all.
In a world as racist towards blacks as this one was in 92 (and still is). They didn't want to send a near all black team. Therefore Laettner got the nod because he was white. And honestly it was probably the right business move. Similar to Nash's undeserved MVPs, and the dress code. All measures to make the primarily black NBA appeal to a primarily white fan base. This is business 101. I'm not mad. I just think it's silly that people like you will lie to yourself.
Imagine if Shaq was white and Laetner was black. That's the real test. Do you think they'd pick a black Lartner over a white Shaq? White Shaq would've been treated like the second coming of Jesus.
Even Shaq will tell you that Laettner deserved to be selected to be on the DT.
plus shaq would not have handled the 12th man role as christian did
Greenwolfe Green you sound stupid Shaq continuously says him and Isaiah Thomas deserved a spot and laettner was BBQ chicken
+Shawne Stinnet
LSU played Duke twice when Shaq was there, and Christian owned Shaq both games, but he somehow was "BBQ chicken?" Lmao okay.
he was on the team because of coach k
i would have put brad daugherity on the dream team or players that day atleast 1 year of nba experience
@@dektran4843
Daugherty?
Yeah, I'm sure he's someone the international community really wanted to see.
(And Coach K had nothing to do with it.)
Christian outplayed Shaq in college. He was just really good. No one thought he would flop like he did. His career was still solid though.
He didn’t flop. He was a All Star a few years. And he had a decent NBA career. Look at his numbers it was definitely above average.
Laettner is a top 5 college player ever...Shaq is not even in the top ten lol.
cmiiw , 4 years at collage. very rare at this time. but CL goat NCAA
+ai fukami
Lmao what? Staying in college for 4 years was NOT rare in the 90's...
Shaq wasn't even the best player on LSU, search up Mahmoud Abdul Rauf if you don't know who that is.
He is arguably THE greatest college player ever.
He was a legend of college ball and a gun NBA player ..
a freak of nature in college. bette than shaq coming out of college. had a pretty good nba career people think it was worse than it was.
In 1992 everyone thought that Christian Laettner will be the next Larry Bird or better than Bird himself.He was indeed beside Coach K the face of Duke Basketball at the time and he was the King of College Basketball so he deserves to get the spot at the dream team
Laettner schooled Shaq in college when they played vs each other....so end of discussion ....
That is a tough spot for any college kid
it was magic that said we dont want the college guy, why do they always blame jordan
Nobody wanted the college guy. Magic just said it out loud.
They didn’t need Shaq at the time lattiner was better for that team quicker but ya in hine site knowing how good shaq was he would have been a better choice and prob could have been a better dream team haha
The main reason why Laettner made the team was because he played in a lot of AAU and FIBA tournaments in the off season and Shaq didn't.
Ummm no... The reason was because he made it to the final four 4 years in a row and won back to back championships and shaq didn't.
True and he was the player of the year.....
only cause coach k was involved
No, it was because Christian was 10x better than Shaq in college.
amazing how some believe laettner being more deserving than Shaq is garbage. Shaq
was the more dominant player in college as wee as in the league. Shaq would become the rookie if the year and a perennial all star. laettner was a rotation player most of his career. Shaq would have a
died another overwhelming athlete and could have learned a lot from Robinson and Ewing as well as from jordan, magic and the others.
+chitownmo The selection was based off their college career...nobody knew how they were gonna pan out in the NBA. Laettner was definitely more deserving than any other college player at the time...he's one of the top 5 college players ever. It was an easy pick
Laettner thought that Shaq might have had difficulty not being THE star as he was on LSU. Laettner thought his experience on the team-oriented Duke would transfer better to the Dream Team.
this college guy is almost hated by entire the dream team member
All this discussion over which college player should have been picked is pointless. NO college player should have been picked. He was a token gesture who barely played and who clearly did not belong on the team, period. There was no real point in having a college player on that team.
That said, he seems to have handled it with grace and class, and what more could we ask for from a kid who was in way over his head?
How was he on the dream team
They select one college kid, Laettner was picked... the dude was a monster in college.
Laettner was finished college in 1992
He wasn't a college player
meaning he wasnt an NBA player yet you idiot.
Shaw should have made it
No. Btw it's Shaq.
Why? Laettner was better than O’Neal in college. It isn’t even close.
truthseeker89 for life I’m going to assume you weren’t taking about Brian Shaw right? 😅
@@jordandwiggins1026 no meant shaq lol