THE CHRISTIAN LAETTNER COLLECTION

Christian Laettner was the 6′ 11″ star on the Duke Blue Devils’ back-to-back national championship basketball teams of 1991 and ’92, the school’s first two national titles in history. He is forever etched in the minds of college basketball fans by virtue of his iconic, game-winning jump shot against the Kentucky Wildcats in the 1992 NCAA East Regional Final.

Born and raised in Angola, New York, near Niagara Falls, Laettner grew up with his older brother Christopher serving as a strong influence who helped instill a very competitive drive in his younger sibling. Christian attended high school at the Buffalo-based Nichols School, a private college preparatory school, and led the Vikings to a pair of state titles and scored more than 2,000 points, setting the school record. He was widely sought-after as a college recruit.

He attended Duke and played under head coach Mike Krzyzewski (“Coach K”) from 1988 to ’92. A four-year starter, he also made critical contributions to Duke’s runner-up finish his sophomore year and Final Four appearance his freshman year. In total, he played in 23 out of a maximum possible 24 NCAA tournament games, winning 21. Both remain college basketball records. For his college career, Laettner averaged 16.6 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. During his senior season of 1991-92, he averaged 21.5 points per game and secured every major National Player of the Year award. Duke retired his No. 32 jersey later that year and he was subsequently enshrined in the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.

As the reigning National Player of the Year, Laettner was the only collegian selected to the 1992 U.S. Men’s Olympic Basketball team, also known as the “Dream Team.” The team, which won the gold medal in dominant fashion by outscoring its opponents by an average of 44 points, is considered one of the greatest in sports history. Laettner averaged 4.8 points per game while playing alongside NBA legends such as Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley.

Selected No. 3 overall behind Shaquille O’Neal and Alonzo Mourning, respectively, in the 1992 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves, Laettner went on to play 13 seasons in the NBA. From 1992 to 2005, he scored a total of 11,121 points, pulled down 5,806 rebounds and made 2,224 assists. Though he played and started for the T-Wolves during his first four seasons, he would go on to play for five more teams over the next nine years. He retired from the NBA following the 2004-05 season; his final per game averages included 12.8 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists.

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CHRISTIAN LAETTNER’S 1992 USA DREAM TEAM SIGNED OFFICIAL MOLTEN BARCELONA OLYMPIC BASKETBALL (18 AUTOS.) WITH ALL PLAYERS & COACHES (LAETTNER COLLECTION) $29,557

CHRISTIAN LAETTNER’S SIGNED & INSCRIBED 1988-92 DUKE BLUE DEVILS GAME WORN SHOOTING SHIRT PHOTO-MATCHED TO SENIOR NIGHT (LAETTNER COLLECTION) $16,150

CHRISTIAN LAETTNER’S 1992 NAISMITH COLLEGE PLAYER OF THE YEAR TROPHY (LAETTNER COLLECTION) $15,035

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