Christian Laettner is one of the most productive players in college basketball history, he is also one of the most hated. The thing about sports, especially basketball, is that there is always a hero and there is always a villain, Laettner was public enemy number one.
The 6-1 power forward out of New York spent his collegiate career with the Duke Blue Devils, where he won a pair of championships. Laettner was described as a rebel by coaches and a bully by others, that is what he was known for: his bully mentally on the court.
The most memorable example of bad sportsmanship from the New York kid was when he stepped on Wildcats’ defender Aminu Timberlake after making a basket. The move was more of a taunt than a possible injury setter, nevertheless Laettner received a technical foul. Overall many players and fans thought that officials were a bit easy on fouls during Laettner’s career with Duke, with that there was ongoing controversy and conspiracy theories.
The thing that is rare with Laettner is that there has been no other player(s) as controversial as him, he is in a league of his own.
There is a fine line between arrogance and confidence, Laettner was able to tip-toe on that line for his career. There were times where he fell on one side of it like when he stepped on Timberlake and then hit a buzzer-beater shot later on in the game. He never stayed on one side long, going to and from quickly and with that Christian Laettner became the most hated player in college basketball.
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