Christian Laettner
If you’re a Kentucky Wildcats fan, the name Christian Laettner still brings back painful memories. Laettner’s iconic buzzer beater against the Wildcats in the 1992 regional final is one of the most iconic shots in NCAA history. Love him or hate him (most hate him), there’s no denying that Laettner is one of the best college basketball players ever. In his four seasons at Duke, he led the Blue Devils to the first two national titles in school history. Duke made the final four in all four years Laettner was with the program. He holds the record for most wins (21) in NCAA tournament history.
As a result of his stellar career at Duke, Laettner was selected to join what is considered the best basketball team ever, the 1992 Olympic “Dream Team.” Although he played very little, his mere presence on the team indicates how successful he was to that point in his basketball career. The Minnesota Timberwolves selected him with the #3 pick pick in the 1992 draft. Laettner played 13 years in the NBA, from 1992-2005, averaging 16.6 points and 7.9 rebounds in his first six seasons. Shortly after retiring from basketball, Laettner and Duke teammate Brian Davis founded Blue Devil Ventures, a real estate investment firm. In December 2005, the company bought seven buildings in Durham to start a downtown revitalization project, estimated to cost $160 million.