To this day I have never understood why. He wasn't even a great player. Why was he selected to play?
2007-03-10 06:43:09 · 14 answers · asked by AL IS ON VACATION AND HAS NO PIC 5 in Sports ➔ Basketball
He was great college player and Coach K was an assistant.
2007-03-10 06:45:37 · answer #1 · answered by miggity182 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Yeah, it was a joke having Laettner on that team...what a waste...but yes, the Olympic Committee decided that they had to put one college player on the team, and Laettner was perhaps the best player in college at that time (Shaq would probably have been a better choice, but Laettner played Shaq to a standstill when Duke played LSU, so Laettner retained his claim to being the best college player).
Only one NBA player from the Dream Team was glad Laettner was there, though. That was Michael Jordan,
because if it wasn't for Laettner, Jordan would have been the worst shooter on the entire team. Here are the FG percentages of the Dream Team members during the 92 Olympic tournament:
Barkley .711
Malone .645
Ewing .623
Mullin .619
Pippen .596
Drexler .578
Robinson .574
Johnson .567
Bird .521
Stockton .500
JORDAN .451
Laettner .450
Everyone was over 50% from the field, except Jordan and Laettner.
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Gambit - Laettner went to Duke, it was AGAINST Kentucky that he hit the infinitely replayed game winning shot. Duke won that game to advance to the final four.
2007-03-10 11:48:32 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would guess it was for two reasons:
1. The Olympic Committee wanted a college player on the roster and Laettner was one of the better NCAA basketball players at the time and he came from a big school like Kentucky
2. for the Duke/Kentucky game. Laettner had a perfect night (he shot 10-10 on the field and 10-10 on the free-throw line) and how Kentucky won the legendary game. (c'mon you have to admit it was one of the NCAA classics of all time)
2007-03-10 14:49:40 · answer #3 · answered by gambitute 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Coach K pulled some strings and got him added into the roster.
He wanted to beef up his Duke playing experience, and wanted Laettner to get the practice against NBA guys.
It was all to hopefully help Duke's program. Had nothing to do with the best college player at the time.
2007-03-10 07:19:16 · answer #4 · answered by momwithabat 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
he was ncaa player of the year. shaq was a candidate also as was alonzo mourning to fill the last spot on the team (to be held by a college player). coach k was an assistant so maybe that couldve had something to do with it. plus the fact that they already had ewing and robinson...i dont think they woulda needed a young shaq who basically wouldve just dunked all time. laettner woulda freed things up b/c of his ability to hit jumpers.
IMO they shoulda by-passed all college players altogether and picked either isiah or nique for the 12th spot...for what they did for the league at that time...they deserved it more.
2007-03-10 14:36:14 · answer #5 · answered by carlos l 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
They wanted a college player to tie into the history of our Olympic basketball, which up till then was to send the best NCAA players, not NBA. He was the top college player at the time, and the shot vs. Kentucky boosted his image. Plus, he had previous international experience
It was a PR move. He hardly played and averaged about 5 points per contest
2007-03-10 07:05:40 · answer #6 · answered by somathus 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Team USA wanted to have at least one college player on their roster. Christian had one of the greatest college careers ever, and Coach K was the coach. If they had wanted the best college player they should have taken Shaquille O'neal
2007-03-10 08:04:33 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
because he WAS the best player in college at the time coach K presence had nothing to do with it, remember they won the gold, today's NBA players didn't even get to play for any medal say something about today's NBA
2007-03-10 08:03:04 · answer #8 · answered by Ryan N 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because he'll forever be immortalized by that damn shot against UK in the NCAA tourney.
Plus Coach K was the coach that year.
2007-03-10 06:49:57 · answer #9 · answered by sweetie_tdp 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
He was a college Phenom
2007-03-10 06:46:34 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋