Christian D. LAETTNER

Laettern was the only collegian chosen for the original US basketball Dream Team that dominated the opposition at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. That, his college success, and his clutch shots, led one basketball writer to dub him one of the two luckiest people to ever live, “along with Ringo Starr.”

After the Olympics, Laettner joined the Minnesota Timberwolves of the NBA, playing with them from 1992-96. He later played for the Atlanta Hawks (1996-99), Detroit Pistons (1999-2000), Dallas Mavericks (2000-01), Washington Wizards (2001-04), and Miami Heat (2004-05). Laettner had a solid NBA career, making the All-Rookie team in 1993, and the 1997 All-Star Game. He finished with career averages of 12.8 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.

Laettner was an aggressive, some said dirty, player, who was not always well-liked. In fact, in 2015, ESPN produced a 30-for-30 documentary entitled “I Hate Christian Laettner.” Laettner also ran into trouble later in life with investments in Durham, NC, where he went to college. He and college teammate Brian Davis started Blue Devil Ventures (BDV), which attempted to revitalize downtown Durham. It would eventually become very successful, but not initially and Laettner and Davis lost significant amounts of money, which led several investors to sue them.