We quoted a GoDuke.com article Wednesday that noted Coach Mike Krzyzewski being inducted into the Chicagoland Hall of Fame on September 15th of this year. He’s at it again, this time along with one of his former players.
Christian Laettner and the rest of the 1992 Dream Team will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame this afternoon. As the only college player on an unbelievably talented squad made up of NBA greats Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Patrick Ewing, Clyde Drexler, and others he didn’t get a whole lot of burn (4.8 points per game) but was nonetheless on the team. No one can fault Laettner for not playing much on such a talented team, but it’s easy to forget just how accomplished he was as a college player.
Joining the players in the Hall as Dream Teamers will be all three assistant head coaches, (Chuck Daly, the head coach passed away last year) Coach Mike Krzyzewski, Lenny Wilkins, and PJ Carlesimo as well as the 1960 U.S. Olympic gold medalists — a powerhouse in their own right with Jerry West and Oscar Robertson. Dream Teamers Scottie Pippen and Karl Malone also will be enshrined as individuals.
As the only player to ever be a starter in four Final Fours, Laettner won two NCAA championships and holds several tournament records including most points scored (407), most free throws made (142), most free throw attempts (162), and most games played (23 out of a possible 24). Laettner was the unananimous player of the year in 1992, the ACC Male Athlete of the Year in 1991 and 1992, the ACC Men’s Basketball Player of the Year in 1992, and the NCAA Tournament MVP in 1991.
Laettner goes down as the most decorated college basketball player ever and will enter the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in Kansas City, Mo. in November.
