I think Christian has gotten a bad rap. He's not that bad of a guy. If a Dad wants to play hoops with his son ie spend time with him then that is a good Dad.
@@shaunr5450 his numbers were trash 🗑 compare to what they was hoping he would be stop it..he never lived up to his expectations u know it and I know it skip bayless voice....lol
"I prefer to play basketball with my son, then show him old stuff." I hope he gets into coaching proper. There is a man that loves the game, and cherishes his son.
His performance against Kentucky is arguably the best performance in NCAA basketball history. 10-10 FG, 10-10 FT and game winning shot to send Duke to the Final Four and eventually winning NCAA tournament.
Tbh it was between shaq, jim jackson, herald miner, and laettner. Laettner had more success in college then probably any college player. His ego was also a better fit because they would not have let any rookie play.
This guy is pretty humble. Can’t imagine what it would feel like to even spend 5 minutes a game with the legends. I mean the dream team roster was bananas. I would have just sat there with my mouth hanging open the entire time
He owns 2 of the most iconic/clutch game winning shots in NCAA history, Four Final Fours, Back2Back National Champions, Player of The Year, multi dimensional player...why wouldn’t he be picked for The Dream Team!? Late was a beast in college! And you don’t have a 13 year NBA career if your a bust
The shot against UK was more a result of bad defense by Kentucky than Christian's talent. If Kentucky had fronted Laettner and pressured the inbounds pass they would have won. Laetners success in college was more of a result of system and coaching than his talent. Christian's NBA career went relatively unnoticed, while the rest of the Dream Team are in the Hall of Fame.
Sometimes you just stop growing too. In 7th grade, I was 6’1. I was 2-3 inches taller than the next tallest person. Everyone figured Id be 6’6 or so. Whatta ya know? Never grew another damn inch. Of course Im not short, but I dont consider myself tall either. It is pretty sweet being tall.
Doctors told me I would be around 6’4 when I was a kid and I’m 6’4 at 23 (though I haven’t looked at my height in a min so I might be a inch or 2 up) it’s pretty easy to tell if a kid will be tall, looking back all the kids that were around my height are also tall, obviously there are exceptions to the rule but the majority of tall kids will be tall adults
I think he's MATURED into a genuinely nice and humble guy. I remember hearing and reading various stories about him as a younger player and guy and apparently he was often a bit of a chad with a gambling habit. Hopefully, he's now as nice as he seems here.
With the college landscape at the time, he was the right choice. Sure , other college players from his era had better pro careers. But he had the best college success at the time
@@Louie406 The NBA wanted to market him, but look what he did in the league. NOTHING....He was an average player. Now if he was black, they would say he was a BUST.
Johnny Dawkins made me a Duke fan at 5. Christian Laettner and Grant Hill kept me a Duke fan at 11/12. And nothing has changed. Still a die hard supporter. Been through all of the heartache and heartbreak. Which makes the big wins and championships when they do happen so much sweeter.
The reason Christian was chosen over Shaq was because the dream team already had Patrick Ewing and David Robinson and, like Christian alluded to himself, Shaq's presence would have cut into their playing time.
This guy got so much shade sent his way, I fine him humble and easy to listen to. Arguably the best college player of all time and he was not a bad pro.
Laettner is talking about the "triple threat position", which is a fundamental part of basketball that was drilled into me as well. Meaning when you catch the ball initially, rather than dribble, assume a postion where you can pass, shoot, OR dribble. Good stuff.
I hated Duke, Hurley, Hill, you name a Duke player I hated them, Laettner beat dam near all my college teams in his career, no way in hell Duke was winning...guess what happened, Duke would win and Laettner numbers, why cant my team stop Laettner???frustrating just thinking about it...
@@LOUDsigh OP is saying that something about the experience makes him not enjoy the fact he owns a gold medal. He didn't sound proud of it, or interested in talking about it at all. He sounded kind of sad, if you ask me.
Exactly man . Poor guy feels like he didnt earn it, and that its not "Really his " to show off (is what I take from his resistance to talk about it or show people )
@@seansimms8503 I was a Duke fan as a kid... I had no idea people hated then so much .. I also liked Michigan and UNLV.. after Leitner, Hurley.. my favorite players were Larry Johnson.. and Jimmy King (im.born and raised in Dallas).. also liked Dante Callebria .. and yes STACK SHEED I cant imagine a fan of college bball not loving watching whoever in the early 90s.
Being in the right nba organization is so important. He had the skillset that everyone looks for in today's game. He'd have more nba success then he did in the 90s
This is coming from a Kentucky fan. Christian Laettner is the greatest college basketball player I have ever seen. He shot 100% from the floor in that 1992 Regional against UK. And that game winner. Respect. I can't see why a lot of fans can't let go of that hate. It's been 30 years guys.
You can really sense that he felt like he didn't deserve the gold medal. He played well in college. He had a decent NBA run. The media really portrayed him as a bust...
He didn't play well in college, he was one of the greatest college players of all time. He didn't have a decent NBA run, he had a good NBA career. I doubt very much he feels like he didn't deserve the gold medal. He played well in his minutes for the Dream Team.
Leattner deserved it over Shaq. Shaq was way better when they got to the NBA but Laettner was definitely a better college player. Dude won 2 NCAA tournaments and took it to a bunch of great players that were studs in NBA.
Shaq was clearly the best coming out of College. Using your logic, Laettner should have been the #1 pick over Shaq. Shaq was clearly the franchise changing player coming out. This was now a pro Olympic team, so using the same criteria you would in the draft makes sense. Laettner I think nailed it when he mentioned they needed a guy who wouldn’t get much playing time and would understand it.
@@Johnny-xj5qu Pro teams knew Shaq had HOFer potential, which is why he was the 1st pick. But Laettner was def a better college player. He might be one of the top college players of alltime. Same reason why Duncan went 1st over Van Horn, even though KVH was a better college player. Teams knew he had the better chance to a be a better pro. There are a ton of other examples of this too.
GastonGross Laettners college career came down to making one shot. Shaq and c Webb were no question more dominant that Laettner at the college level. They just did not have the buzzer beating shot.
Blank Name I agree...outside of his 2 tourney most outstanding player awards, 2 NCAA championships, Naismith Award, 4x all ACC tourney awards, wooden award, 2 all American awards...all he had was 1 shot 🙄
@@teehuanharvey3520 Nope. Per 36 minutes played: Pts: Laettner 21.9, Duncan 17.0, Ewing 17.9, Sampson 19.7, D Robinson 25.7 Assists: Laettner 2.4, Duncan 2.3, Ewing 1.0, Sampson 1.4, D Robinson 0.8 Rebounds: Laettner 10.2, Duncan 12.6, Ewing 10.8, Sampson 13.4, D Robinson 12.6 Definitely in the mix with some all-time great college bigs. To say otherwise is just a low basketball IQ.
It happened because you were the best collegiate player that year and they chose to keep a spot open for the amateurs that had composed the teams for years.
@@jamman5610 lmao I love Shaq but this is 100% true. He can't even give proper respect to Barkley who is one of the best power forwards ever lol. I honestly almost died of shock when Shaq said Giannis can be Superman now lol
CL is a straight shooting guy. He understood his role and went along for a magical ride. Famously, the pick up games before the Games, he was sidelined, but that wasn't disrespect that was respecting the name players who were all HoF, top 75. Glad he isn't sour
Christian has a better college career than any of the other members, but yeah, what was he going to do, bump his chest and ask for the ball, he played his part, picked up a gold medal. Then end.
@@teehuanharvey3520 I mean if you compared him to, let say Barkley who shared the same position as him, of course he is weaker Even Stockton maybe stronger than him at that time After all, he's a college player and duh, college players definitely doesn't have the same workout intensity like NBA players Let alone NBA players who has been playing in top flight for like more than 5 years
Was 11 years old living in Las Vegas when he led the huge upset over UNLV in ‘91. Never thought I’d say it, but I’m starting to like this guy. Haven’t come around to liking Hurley yet though!
He did say he was just along for the ride. He didn't demand any minutes(of course). He knew he was going to be at the end of the bench. He was still chosen to be part of it. Would anybody decline that?
Yeah, but even the 12th guy off the bench gets a ring in the NBA, and they contribute other ways. Like encouraging their teammates or pretending to be the opponent.
He knew he didn't win that gold meddle. He was there because the politics of the selection committee was required to put a collegiate player on the roster. It was the equivalent to affirmative action and he knew it.
As a lifelong Kentucky citizen, and a die-hard member of BBN, I'm going to "be respectful and follow the community guidelines" by keeping my mouth shut.
Same. But unfortunately he actually seems like he matured into a decent humble guy. That’s as nice a thing as I can ever say about him lol. The sports hate is eternal.
The guy literally said he never expected to be included in the Dream Team, or was deserving. He knew he would never play. So you people hating are just salty he got chosen? People are sad man.
Think of it this way: David Robinson single-handedly carried Navy to a 30-5 record and an Elite Eight appearance during the 1985-86 season. At Georgetown, Patrick Ewing appeared in three national championship games, winning one of them. Meanwhile, in 1989-90 Shaq played alongside Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf (then known as Chris Jackson), an All-American who averaged 27.8 per game, as well as Stanley Roberts, who played 15 seasons in the NBA. And yet LSU couldn't even make it out of the second round of the NCAA tournament. The point is, college Shaq wasn't able to carry his team the way the others did.
Shaq was good, but raw. They had to choose a college player, Laettner was definitely more polished, but we all knew Shaq was going to be great. They chose the safe choice, a guy that would play the rookie like he did.
When he said "my son did something the other day that let me know he is getting it". I so wanted to hear him say "he stepped in an opponent wearing a Kentucky jersey"
I give Laettner credit for mentioning Shaq who people knew was already a more dominant player. But he's right that Shaq probably would've commanded more playing time than he did
Yeah and he would've had a big problem with MJ and Magic who would not tolerate anything from him. Shaq's ego would've ruined that team most likely and disrupted their chemistry, just to try to make it about himself.
To answer your questions since I followed this team back in 1992 : Laettner didn’t contribute too much during his time in the Olympics he averaged 4,8 ppg and played sparingly …
I remember arguing with my uncle that Shaq should have been chosen over Laettner. Ill never forget when he said, "All Shaq can do is dunk!" Thirty years later, its pretty sweet knowing I was right as a kid, and he was wrong as a professional high school sports coach.
ruffgook his status at the college level was equal to the dreams team guys status at the nba level. he certainly was not as good, but they wanted a college player and they should take the national player of the year
Everybody new that Shaq was a generational talent but Laettner had all of the accoloades and was one of the most highly decorated college players of all time. He was right when he said that the selection committee knew that he wouldnt complain about a lack of playing time. "He was just along for the ride" I would be proud if I were him, but as a fan I still kinda wish Shaq would been on that team.
I get the feeling it wasn’t quite a dream to him being on the Olympic team. I’ve never heard of him making friends with any of the guys, or getting advice, mentoring. His medal was for being a part of the team, but his low pride in it was from being apart of the team.
15 years in the NBA and averaging roughly 13 points a game is a badge of honor. I would take that over my miserable corporate job any day.
yes
Lol I hope I don’t end up like you. You need a new job
Can't disagree
ACT1O1 you can’t make fun of people jobs like that
😂😥
You can’t trash this guy for getting selected to The Dream Team. He had an amazing college career.
still hate the guy
I think Christian has gotten a bad rap. He's not that bad of a guy. If a Dad wants to play hoops with his son ie spend time with him then that is a good Dad.
turnupthesun81 , so true. What would people want him to do? Decline?
He was pretty good in the NBA too....
@@endebtedone why cuz you a tarholes fan?
12 years in the NBA. Net worth of 60 million. I'd say he did pretty well.
Damn! That can't just be from playing. To the internet! ☝️
Ya his numbers were really good his first 7 years or so. No bust.
Johnny Dawkins still sueing him ?
@@shaunr5450 his numbers were trash 🗑 compare to what they was hoping he would be stop it..he never lived up to his expectations u know it and I know it skip bayless voice....lol
money has nothing to do with it...you are lost
"I prefer to play basketball with my son, then show him old stuff."
I hope he gets into coaching proper. There is a man that loves the game, and cherishes his son.
Lol his son goes to my church
His performance against Kentucky is arguably the best performance in NCAA basketball history. 10-10 FG, 10-10 FT and game winning shot to send Duke to the Final Four and eventually winning NCAA tournament.
Not arguing his performance back then, but what stands out to me anytime I hear his name is him stomping Aminu Timberlake & not being ejected.
Makes it even more impressive that he hit from the perimeter as well as up close
Al Bundy scored four touchdowns in one game, arguably the best performance in school history
Walton was 21 of 22 (23 of 24 but dunking wasn't allowed) with 13 rebounds against Memphis state.
Never liked Laettner but it was a great performance. Greatest college basketball game of all time imo
Do people forget that his first 8 yrs he was a walking 15-20pt scorer with 6 reb 1 stl and 1 blk per game? He wasn't a scrub. 13yr career.
Daniel Kapanui But he was also selected over Shaq
@@FelixOh i was referring to the people actting like he was only good in college
Tbh it was between shaq, jim jackson, herald miner, and laettner. Laettner had more success in college then probably any college player. His ego was also a better fit because they would not have let any rookie play.
He just had a massive coke habit and never lived up to his potential
Felix Oh he was better than Shaq in college.
This guy is pretty humble. Can’t imagine what it would feel like to even spend 5 minutes a game with the legends. I mean the dream team roster was bananas. I would have just sat there with my mouth hanging open the entire time
Just don't ask Johnny Dawkins
I think it just naturally went with his talent. Huge opportunity to improve his game. The guy was arrogant because he was all in.
Laettner was one of the most decorated and successful collegiate players of all time. Dude went to 4 straight Final Fours.
Yeah, I've seen interviews with pros where they say leatnner was more feared to play against than shaq in college
jeso317 He was. Shaq was really great but really raw. Laettner was the gold standard.
his record for NCAA tournament points will never fall IMO. Anyone that's talented enough to break it wont stay in school long enough to.
Some feel he was the greatest collegiate basketball player ever.
@@jinkim23 he's in the discussion for sure. But let's not forget the names of Lew Alcindor(Kareem), Bill Walton to name a few
He owns 2 of the most iconic/clutch game winning shots in NCAA history, Four Final Fours, Back2Back National Champions, Player of The Year, multi dimensional player...why wouldn’t he be picked for The Dream Team!? Late was a beast in college! And you don’t have a 13 year NBA career if your a bust
The shot against UK was more a result of bad defense by Kentucky than Christian's talent. If Kentucky had fronted Laettner and pressured the inbounds pass they would have won.
Laetners success in college was more of a result of system and coaching than his talent. Christian's NBA career went relatively unnoticed, while the rest of the Dream Team are in the Hall of Fame.
ba Khem brutal Knowledge he went 10-10 from the field that game, not all of those were defensive breakdowns.
@@brgreg8725
I'm referring to the game winner, Einstein.
@@bakhembrutalknowledge Still had a great NCAAB career though. 🤷♂️
@@bakhembrutalknowledge Exactly. And Duke was getting all the love and hype during those collegiate era.
Imagine being 13 years old knowing you’re guaranteed to be between 6’4” and 6’7”, like it’s nothing, just expected.
triniboy05 must be nice for sure
Sometimes you just stop growing too. In 7th grade, I was 6’1. I was 2-3 inches taller than the next tallest person. Everyone figured Id be 6’6 or so.
Whatta ya know? Never grew another damn inch. Of course Im not short, but I dont consider myself tall either.
It is pretty sweet being tall.
StuUngar lol well the rest of us consider you tall.
Doctors told me I would be around 6’4 when I was a kid and I’m 6’4 at 23 (though I haven’t looked at my height in a min so I might be a inch or 2 up) it’s pretty easy to tell if a kid will be tall, looking back all the kids that were around my height are also tall, obviously there are exceptions to the rule but the majority of tall kids will be tall adults
I’m 6’1. Still hoping I can add another inch or 2
Christian Laettner did sit on the end of the Dream Team bench quietly like a rookie unlike many others ... that's a gold medal performance.
Love him or hate him dude comes correct, and he clearly loves the game
He seems like a genuinely nice and humble guy. I bet he’s a great father and coach.
I think he's MATURED into a genuinely nice and humble guy. I remember hearing and reading various stories about him as a younger player and guy and apparently he was often a bit of a chad with a gambling habit. Hopefully, he's now as nice as he seems here.
He deserved to be there. He was/Is a Winner
Laettner should be proud. Being part of the Dream Team is crazy.
He was a stud. We all woulda loved his career.
Bigkats Poker FACTS and RESPECT can go a long way
Solid nba player. Not a star but he knew his role
Stud college player yes. But when you play with the big boys it's a different game.
Geordie Halma being one of the best college basketball players ever is not a small feat
Ok NBA player nothing special really
"Because id rather go [play basketball with my son] than show him old stuff" this guy is a class act
With the college landscape at the time, he was the right choice. Sure , other college players from his era had better pro careers. But he had the best college success at the time
Jon He was not the right choice, there were others that were more deserving. Just white privilege. Did he even play????
Lol white privilege bro stop. Dont make this racial. He was a beast for his squad for 3 years and won titles. Stop it
@@Louie406 Why him, if it was suppose to be for pros?
@@Louie406 That's why he doesn't show his ring. He didn't EARN IT.
@@Louie406 The NBA wanted to market him, but look what he did in the league. NOTHING....He was an average player. Now if he was black, they would say he was a BUST.
Laettner did well for himself. Low starting career and an all-star team. And he chilled out. Can't say he was a bum
Johnny Dawkins made me a Duke fan at 5. Christian Laettner and Grant Hill kept me a Duke fan at 11/12. And nothing has changed. Still a die hard supporter. Been through all of the heartache and heartbreak. Which makes the big wins and championships when they do happen so much sweeter.
The reason Christian was chosen over Shaq was because the dream team already had Patrick Ewing and David Robinson and, like Christian alluded to himself, Shaq's presence would have cut into their playing time.
they needed a white guy
@@samir.4718 You clearly never saw the guy play in college. And your a racist. And I would call you a dummy, but that would be an insult to dummies.
Sami R. Why? They had 3 already. More of a case of Isiah over Stockton at that point in their careers
@@brgreg8725 Isiah would never happen, stop it. MJ, Pippen, Magic really didn't want him and probably a few other players as well.
He was also better than shaq in 92, he outplayed shaq when they played.....projection was shaq long term but in 92 laettner was better
Hated him at Duke but definitely respected him!!!
This guy got so much shade sent his way, I fine him humble and easy to listen to. Arguably the best college player of all time and he was not a bad pro.
Best of all time.... Wouldn't go that far.
Jabbar chuckles heavily in your direction.
Leattner, be proud ! It was the best of times!
Laettner is talking about the "triple threat position", which is a fundamental part of basketball that was drilled into me as well. Meaning when you catch the ball initially, rather than dribble, assume a postion where you can pass, shoot, OR dribble. Good stuff.
Damn... Christian has some deep issues connect to this. Poor guy, no reason for him to feel so bad.
I dnt follow
I hated Duke, Hurley, Hill, you name a Duke player I hated them, Laettner beat dam near all my college teams in his career, no way in hell Duke was winning...guess what happened, Duke would win and Laettner numbers, why cant my team stop Laettner???frustrating just thinking about it...
@@LOUDsigh OP is saying that something about the experience makes him not enjoy the fact he owns a gold medal. He didn't sound proud of it, or interested in talking about it at all. He sounded kind of sad, if you ask me.
Exactly man . Poor guy feels like he didnt earn it, and that its not "Really his " to show off (is what I take from his resistance to talk about it or show people )
@@seansimms8503 I was a Duke fan as a kid... I had no idea people hated then so much .. I also liked Michigan and UNLV.. after Leitner, Hurley.. my favorite players were Larry Johnson.. and Jimmy King (im.born and raised in Dallas).. also liked Dante Callebria .. and yes STACK SHEED
I cant imagine a fan of college bball not loving watching whoever in the early 90s.
Well....at least CL knows what's up and doesn't try to make himself out to be anything other than what he was. I can respect that.
One of the best collegiate players ever and an above average NBA player with a gold medal?
Nah, he's selling Himself short.
Yeah but you can tell he is raising a good kid. Worth more than any medal.
Being in the right nba organization is so important. He had the skillset that everyone looks for in today's game. He'd have more nba success then he did in the 90s
This is coming from a Kentucky fan. Christian Laettner is the greatest college basketball player I have ever seen. He shot 100% from the floor in that 1992 Regional against UK. And that game winner. Respect. I can't see why a lot of fans can't let go of that hate. It's been 30 years guys.
Christian's success in college was more a result of system and coaching than Talent. His career in the NBA went relatively unnoticed.
You can really sense that he felt like he didn't deserve the gold medal. He played well in college. He had a decent NBA run. The media really portrayed him as a bust...
He didn't play well in college, he was one of the greatest college players of all time. He didn't have a decent NBA run, he had a good NBA career. I doubt very much he feels like he didn't deserve the gold medal. He played well in his minutes for the Dream Team.
very humble guy 👍
They always seem to become great guys when they get out from under coach k's evil thumb.
So clutch. He hit the free throws to beat UNLV, hit a 18 footer to beat UConn the year before and the Kentucky game.
He sounds mature and thoughtful. Wasn't a big fan during his college days but he's lived and learned. Good for him.
People wanted Laettner to fail, but he was a solid starter while with the Twolves and Hawks.
Just like Lamar
Yep. Then Jordan recruited him to the Wizards for his comeback. Thought that said a lot.
He was also a great champion with the Heat in 2006, despite the fact that it was rigged for my team.
I remember him playing for the wizards some 16-18 years ago when I was in middle school
Played with MJ again.
2:48 that's actually the whole point for any game, whether basketball football soccer or whatever. Spacing is everything.
3:50 triple threat is fundamental! (Options: Pass, shoot, or dribble)
Leattner deserved it over Shaq. Shaq was way better when they got to the NBA but Laettner was definitely a better college player. Dude won 2 NCAA tournaments and took it to a bunch of great players that were studs in NBA.
Shaq was clearly the best coming out of College. Using your logic, Laettner should have been the #1 pick over Shaq. Shaq was clearly the franchise changing player coming out. This was now a pro Olympic team, so using the same criteria you would in the draft makes sense. Laettner I think nailed it when he mentioned they needed a guy who wouldn’t get much playing time and would understand it.
@@Johnny-xj5qu Pro teams knew Shaq had HOFer potential, which is why he was the 1st pick. But Laettner was def a better college player. He might be one of the top college players of alltime. Same reason why Duncan went 1st over Van Horn, even though KVH was a better college player. Teams knew he had the better chance to a be a better pro. There are a ton of other examples of this too.
GastonGross Laettners college career came down to making one shot. Shaq and c Webb were no question more dominant that Laettner at the college level. They just did not have the buzzer beating shot.
Blank Name I agree...outside of his 2 tourney most outstanding player awards, 2 NCAA championships, Naismith Award, 4x all ACC tourney awards, wooden award, 2 all American awards...all he had was 1 shot 🙄
@@gk5908 and his 4 straight final fours and the most NCAA tournament games played in history.
What a great and humble guy. Too bad he played for basketball Siberia. Wish he would have won a title with the Heat.
Bum
@@teehuanharvey3520 Low basketball IQ.
Great College Player and he was a good NBA player.
Laettner is a humble guy
One of the greatest College players ever..
Lol he was a joke
@@teehuanharvey3520 Nope. Per 36 minutes played:
Pts: Laettner 21.9, Duncan 17.0, Ewing 17.9, Sampson 19.7, D Robinson 25.7
Assists: Laettner 2.4, Duncan 2.3, Ewing 1.0, Sampson 1.4, D Robinson 0.8
Rebounds: Laettner 10.2, Duncan 12.6, Ewing 10.8, Sampson 13.4, D Robinson 12.6
Definitely in the mix with some all-time great college bigs. To say otherwise is just a low basketball IQ.
This guy is the most hated Duke player ever.
The rest get forgotten about after graduation or jumping to the NBA
I thought Grayson Allen stole his title after his shenanigans from the bench.
Cherokee Parks agrees
Grant Hill was a good player.
Grayson Allen says what's up.
JJ Redick
It happened because you were the best collegiate player that year and they chose to keep a spot open for the amateurs that had composed the teams for years.
Thanks,C.L.! One of the greatest
Shaq admitted Laettner was better in college
Didn't need to say it everybody knew it, but NBA was totally different
And that says something cause Shaq rarely gives respect to anyone
@@jamman5610 lmao I love Shaq but this is 100% true. He can't even give proper respect to Barkley who is one of the best power forwards ever lol.
I honestly almost died of shock when Shaq said Giannis can be Superman now lol
"You can have the college kid" Jordan in the last dance. To be acknowledge by the goat is already a privilage.
🤣🤣😂🤣😂
Jordan was bad for the Dream Team. Played like Kobe, had to throw up a ton of shots to get points. Barkley dominated for that team.
CL is a straight shooting guy. He understood his role and went along for a magical ride. Famously, the pick up games before the Games, he was sidelined, but that wasn't disrespect that was respecting the name players who were all HoF, top 75. Glad he isn't sour
Humble dude
To be part of the greatest team ever assembled is no mean feat....he should rightly be proud af....and he performed just fine.
at the time he was the best college player in the world
Christian has a better college career than any of the other members, but yeah, what was he going to do, bump his chest and ask for the ball, he played his part, picked up a gold medal. Then end.
TheMan750 literally
This dude was WEAK!
@@teehuanharvey3520 I mean if you compared him to, let say Barkley who shared the same position as him, of course he is weaker
Even Stockton maybe stronger than him at that time
After all, he's a college player and duh, college players definitely doesn't have the same workout intensity like NBA players
Let alone NBA players who has been playing in top flight for like more than 5 years
You could argue that stance. He played for a good college program. Bird dragged Indiana State to the NCAA Finals
Was 11 years old living in Las Vegas when he led the huge upset over UNLV in ‘91. Never thought I’d say it, but I’m starting to like this guy. Haven’t come around to liking Hurley yet though!
Cause he didn’t feel like he contributed to the medal!!!
King Leung, RA, LEED AP Yep averaged less than 5 min a game.
He did say he was just along for the ride. He didn't demand any minutes(of course). He knew he was going to be at the end of the bench. He was still chosen to be part of it. Would anybody decline that?
Gee Shaug , clearly you didn't understand my statement.
Yeah, but even the 12th guy off the bench gets a ring in the NBA, and they contribute other ways. Like encouraging their teammates or pretending to be the opponent.
@@aznnp77 u do realize their average margin of victory was 43.8 points, right?
Great interview
He earned his spot on the team.
Born and raised in Kentucky. 92’ was my first true heartbreak. Still hate seeing the shot EVERY MF YEAR in March!!
Being a rookie on the dream team must have been an otherworldly experience. Especially before the social media age.
I'm the biggest Tar heels fan couldn't stand him but he could play
Agreed. UVA fan since the Wally Walker days. You have to give talent its due. I call it "The Larry Bird Rule".
Well thanks captain obvious. Yes, he could play.
Never was a fan of his but he deserved his selection. One of the greatest NCAA ballers ever.
What a great answer!
He always contributed to his team so yeah, great player.
Catch and face. I’m going to try that at the gym in the future 😊
Big fan of this guy
He knew he didn't win that gold meddle. He was there because the politics of the selection committee was required to put a collegiate player on the roster. It was the equivalent to affirmative action and he knew it.
As a lifelong Kentucky citizen, and a die-hard member of BBN, I'm going to "be respectful and follow the community guidelines" by keeping my mouth shut.
Same. But unfortunately he actually seems like he matured into a decent humble guy. That’s as nice a thing as I can ever say about him lol. The sports hate is eternal.
I still love lataener
"and some other place i cant remember" let that sink in for a moment shall we?
What was the other place
He had a pretty good career...13 ppg average during his career.. pretty respectable..I always liked him..
He would be a great player in today’s NBA!!!!
Like the honesty
Hands down he was the best college player.
No, but one of the better ones.
The guy literally said he never expected to be included in the Dream Team, or was deserving. He knew he would never play. So you people hating are just salty he got chosen? People are sad man.
To be throwing into the Dream Team, I'll just be glad to serve the gatorade to all these HALL OF FAMERS.
I have a question....How was Shaq at that point vs Ewing and Robinson? I'm sure he would have compared favorably?
Shaq as a rookie was a force physically but his actual basketball skills were limited. Rookie Shaq wasn't better than those 2 HOFers
Think of it this way: David Robinson single-handedly carried Navy to a 30-5 record and an Elite Eight appearance during the 1985-86 season. At Georgetown, Patrick Ewing appeared in three national championship games, winning one of them. Meanwhile, in 1989-90 Shaq played alongside Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf (then known as Chris Jackson), an All-American who averaged 27.8 per game, as well as Stanley Roberts, who played 15 seasons in the NBA. And yet LSU couldn't even make it out of the second round of the NCAA tournament. The point is, college Shaq wasn't able to carry his team the way the others did.
Bort McBort Shaq was very raw then. You saw the greatness coming but it wasn’t there yet.
@Leland Joseph Correct, dream was not citizen til next Olympics.
Shaq was good, but raw. They had to choose a college player, Laettner was definitely more polished, but we all knew Shaq was going to be great. They chose the safe choice, a guy that would play the rookie like he did.
Laettner was my guy when he played in ATL💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾😂😂😂
Very well spoken young men.
Um, he's 50 years old...
Wow I’m a UCONN fan but I like this Guy,never mind basketball he’s a great dad 👍
When he said "my son did something the other day that let me know he is getting it". I so wanted to hear him say "he stepped in an opponent wearing a Kentucky jersey"
I give Laettner credit for mentioning Shaq who people knew was already a more dominant player. But he's right that Shaq probably would've commanded more playing time than he did
but suck during his college, cannot carry his team to final four
Yeah and he would've had a big problem with MJ and Magic who would not tolerate anything from him. Shaq's ego would've ruined that team most likely and disrupted their chemistry, just to try to make it about himself.
To answer your questions since I followed this team back in 1992 : Laettner didn’t contribute too much during his time in the Olympics he averaged 4,8 ppg and played sparingly …
I remember arguing with my uncle that Shaq should have been chosen over Laettner. Ill never forget when he said, "All Shaq can do is dunk!" Thirty years later, its pretty sweet knowing I was right as a kid, and he was wrong as a professional high school sports coach.
at the time, he was right lol
Nah, you were wrong. Shaq wasn’t hitting clutch 3s and making football passes down court to win games.
he was a decent player, just not at the caliber of the dream team.
ruffgook his status at the college level was equal to the dreams team guys status at the nba level. he certainly was not as good, but they wanted a college player and they should take the national player of the year
There are twenty other NBA players that you could replace him with. Maybe even thirty.
vee dee but they needed a college player...
It's between him and Shaq during that time... They need a college player, Laettner is one heck of a player during his college days...!
Audiophile Live TV technically he wouldn’t have been college anymore.
He was hated because he was very very good ! He would be a great coach !
over the years learned to appreciate Laettner. wish he would have panned out with the wolves
Magic disrespected this guy so badly at the Hall of Fame ceremony. He tried to backpedal, but he clearly forgot to mention him.
wasnt it suppose to be shaq? or G. Hill instead of leather?
Great Player
Sounds like a pretty stand up guy...I still have his fleer tower of power card...one of my favorites.
I'm not a hooper but I'll take a back seat role to the Dream Team, with 13 years in the NBA, and a Duke University Degree anytime with no hesitation!!
Laetner doesn’t give himself enough credit. He could’ve reached that Mullin or Clyde, and John level if he believed in himself.
ablackprep when in the nba was he cocky like you say?
John? You serious?
Bored Na Gaga Mullin and Drexler too. Mullin was Klay Thompson before Klay Thompson.
Hero 3 there’s no way in hell that would’ve ever happened!
@@StuUngar no no no.. you seriously tellin me that he couldve reach Johns level? You serious?
Seems like he didn't show off the medal is because he didn't really play to say he earned it. As he said, he was along for the ride.
Everybody new that Shaq was a generational talent but Laettner had all of the accoloades and was one of the most highly decorated college players of all time. He was right when he said that the selection committee knew that he wouldnt complain about a lack of playing time. "He was just along for the ride" I would be proud if I were him, but as a fan I still kinda wish Shaq would been on that team.
Didn’t he lose his all of his NBA money? His resurgence was the mark of the true champion he is.
Laettner won each college basketball game he played against Shaq.
His mom taught at my elementary school.
Is he supposed to wear it around his neck? Seriously?
He doesn't show it because he didn't earn it.
@@nelsonperez5289 learn your history. He did deserve it.
@@younglove3362 This is sports, not history class. I think you should of stayed in school. LOL
he definitely earned it.
@@mrsain19 Yeah, sitting at the end of the bench , what about Shaq, Isaiah Thomas Hakeem?
Laettner was clutch player
I get the feeling it wasn’t quite a dream to him being on the Olympic team. I’ve never heard of him making friends with any of the guys, or getting advice, mentoring. His medal was for being a part of the team, but his low pride in it was from being apart of the team.