A tall, lanky basketball player, number 32 on the Duke Blue Devils, catches an inbound pass on the foul line from the far side of the court. He looks up at the clock and only 2.1 seconds remain in overtime, but with one dribble and a quick turn, the buzzer-beater jump shot swishes into the basket. The Blue Devils crowd roars and cheers wildly in celebration. Duke had just won the East Regional Final by one point, 104-103, leaving the Kentucky Wildcats in shock, earning Duke a spot in the Final Four.

Christian Laettner is a legendary basketball player. He was recruited by the Duke Blue Devils, was part of the “Dream Team” (the US Olympic basketball team in the early 1990’s), and played in the NBA. Saint Stephen’s had the honor to host the eminent player, who spoke to the faculty and students, as well as have him lead a basketball camp for our girls and boys basketball teams and many from outside of Saint Stephen’s.

Laettner started playing basketball when he was in second grade.

“I fell in love with [basketball] because of my dad and older brother. My father was a coach from fifth to eighth grade at my Catholic grammar school when I was growing up. When your father is a coach, it’s just a lot easier. I had a brother who was four years older than me, so I was always tagging along with them. They were always doing baseball and basketball, so I was always doing baseball and basketball,” he said.

Laettner rose to fame by his game-winning shot in the 1992 NCAA Tournament.

Laettner starred in high school basketball, scoring 2,000 points overall, and helping his team to two state championships. He was then recruited to play in college for several Division I schools, but decided to attend Duke University for its academic and athletic programs. In 1991 and 1992 he played in the NCAA National Championships. He started all four times he played in the Final Four. At that time, only 24 tournament games were allowed to be played in college and he played all but one, making him the record-holder.

But of all his college successes, Laettner said the game-winning shot was “the greatest feeling in the world.”

“I remember thinking: I don’t wanna lose, I don’t wanna lose. When you’re 22, nothing is more important than basketball at the college you’re playing at. So, when I made the shot I just couldn’t believe that God had allowed me to hit another shot like that because I made one when I was a sophomore. For the Lord to allow me to hit another game-winning shot in order to propel my team to the NCAA Final was just the greatest feeling in the world. It was awesome,” Lattner said.

At the pro level, Laettner was an important player to various teams throughout his 13 years in the NBA.

He was also on the US National team, which won a bronze medal in the 1990 FIBA World Championship. In 1992, the Men’s Olympic basketball team was assembled and Laettner, only a college basketball player at the time, was selected to play on it. This team became known as the famous, “Dream Team,” thought of as the best “put together” sports team of all time. The “Dream Team” won the gold medal in the 1992 Olympics.

“The ‘Dream Team’ was awesome because I was the youngest kid on the team. It was a team of around 28 men who are the best players in the world. It was an unbelievable opportunity for me and I had a lot of fun in practice. Then, after practice, I’d play one-on-one with the guys. Representing your country and having the chance to win a gold medal was just a dream come true,” Laettner said.