The Dream Team’s 12th Man: Christian Laettner

Everybody has heard of the Dream Team, the NBA’s brightest
luminaries who were the first professional players to play in the Olympics, 11
of whom are Hall of Famers. The 12^th player, however, is someone far
less recognizable.

1992 was the first year that professional NBA players were
allowed to participate. In addition to the 11 NBA players, the US basketball
committee decided to include one college player as an homage to the previous
amateur system. College basketball’s best and brightest were considered for the
last spot on the team, a list which included Shaquille O’Neal and Alonzo
Mourning. However, Christian Laettner was chosen over the two due to his
Naismith College Player of the Year Award and his two national championships
with the Duke Blue Devils. Laettner’s college career was one of the most
decorated ever. He was also one of the most hated college players, due to his
physical nature, sometimes perceived as a bullying style and his clutch
performances in big games, which broke fans’ hearts and crushed players’
dreams.

After graduating, Laettner was drafted by the Minnesota
Timberwolves with the 3^rd pick in the 1992 draft, which boasted of
two Hall of Famers who were picked directly before him, Shaquille O’Neal and
Alonzo Mourning. There were high expectations for Laettner, after his decorated
college career and the status of being the 3^rd pick. However, he
failed to live up to the hype.

Laettner was by no means a bust. He played for 13 years in the
NBA and even made an All-Star appearance with the Atlanta Hawks. He had 5
seasons with over 15 points per game and 5 with over 7 rebounds per game.
Laettner’s rookie season in Minnesota and his All-Star season were remarkably
similar, averaging 18 points and 7 rebounds per game and playing over 80 games
in both seasons.

After a successful, if uneventful, career spanning six teams,
Laettner retired in 2005, last playing for the Miami Heat.

Christian Laettner’s career was neither so good that he became
a Hall of Famer, nor so bad that he became known as a bust. His story was that
of a player who was burdened with unreasonable hype and failed to live up to
expectations, but was still a valuable player, who eventually became a footnote
in NBA history.