Laettner

The Harvard Lampoon has honored comedians such as Bill Cosby, Dudley Moore and Robin Williams as its Man of the Year, so what was it doing naming Duke basketball player Christian Laettner with its 1991 award?"

The first time Brian Davis tried to enter the NBA, it was as a second-round draft choice of the Phoenix Suns in 1992. For a player who had been on three Final Four teams at Duke and a starter on the 1991 and 1992 national championship teams, the obstacle was daunting. "They had Charles Barkley, Dan Majerle, Danny Ainge and Cedric Ceballos," Davis said yesterday, naming the Suns' small forwards and shooting guards, the two positions the 6-foot-7 Davis had played for the Blue Devils. After a year playing in France, Davis made the Minnesota Timberwolves the next season.

The chairman of the NCAA tournament championship committee said yesterday that no further action will be taken against Duke center Christian Laettner for an incident during Saturday's NCAA East Regional final against Kentucky in Philadelphia.Laettner intentionally stepped on Wildcats reserve Aminu Timberlake after being fouled with 8:06 remaining in regulation. Laettner, who received a technical foul as well as a personal foul, hit the game-winning shot at the overtime buzzer to give the defending champion Blue Devils a 104-103 victory.

WASHINGTON - All the rumors swirling around MCI Center were confirmed last night, as the Wizards dealt Wisconsin guard Devin Harris and forwards Jerry Stackhouse and Christian Laettner to the Dallas Mavericks for forward Antawn Jamison and cash considerations. The Wizards selected Harris, the 2003-04 Big Ten Player of the Year, as the No. 5 pick in the NBA draft. With the deal, the Wizards hope to cash in this season on talent, rather than wait for it to develop. The Wizards suffered through a 37-45 season with one of the youngest teams in the league as nine Wizards had two or fewer years of NBA experience.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Christian Laettner's Olympic wish was granted yesterday.Laettner, who has led Duke to the past two NCAA championships, and Clyde Drexler of the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers were named the 11th and 12th members of the U.S. Olympic men's basketball team.The first 10 players were chosen last fall. Laettner is the only collegian on the team.The selection committee met in Springfield, Mass., and needed only a brief discussion before casting its ballots. Drexler and Laettner had been considered virtual locks to make the team.

STORRS, Conn. -- University of Connecticut center Rod Sellers sent a letter to Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski yesterday, apologizing for an incident that took place Friday in the second half of their NCAA Midwest Regional semifinal in Pontiac, Mich.Sellers and UConn coach Jim Calhoun agreed the letter was necessary after viewing videotape.With just under six minutes remaining in Duke's 81-67 victory, Sellers and Duke center Christian Laettner were involved in a scramble for a loose ball under UConn's basket.

WASHINGTON - Washington Wizards forward Christian Laettner was suspended for five games without pay yesterday by the NBA for violating the league's anti-drug policy. Laettner, 34, a 6-foot-11 forward who is in his 12th NBA season, was notified by the league Monday about the violation. His suspension began with last night's game against the Houston Rockets. Laettner, who is averaging 6.7 points and 5.3 rebounds in 30 games, can return to the team on Jan. 23 at Boston. "Christian knows that he made a mistake," said Wizards coach Eddie Jordan.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Duke officials "categorically" denied allegations yesterday that basketball star Christian Laettner may have violated NCAA rules, but the NCAA was not yet commenting.At issue are the terms of Laettner's arrangement to keep a diary for publication in GQ magazine.The Winston-Salem (N.C.) Journal's editions yesterday quoted GQ's managing editor, David Granger, and former managing editor, Eliot Kaplan, as saying Laettner signed a contract with the magazine before his senior season, agreeing to payment if the story is published as scheduled this fall.

Duke center Christian Laettner was named the 1992 Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year yesterday by The Associated Press.Laettner, also named All-American by the AP on Monday, was an overwhelming winner of the ACC award in his senior season. He received 81 of 107 votes from members of the Atlantic Coast Sports Writers Association.Walt Williams of Maryland finished second with 23 votes. North Carolina State's Tom Gugliotta, Virginia's Bryant Stith and Wake Forest's Rodney Rogers got one each.

College basketball coaches forever have spoken of the importance of team chemistry, and, from all appearances, top-ranked and defending national champion Duke is an example of a team whose players seem to be in perfect sync.Did you see the Blue Devils rolling around the court Saturday night at the Spectrum in Philadelphia, celebrating Christian Laettner's game-winning shot against Kentucky?In this case, appearances can be a little deceiving.No, the Duke players didn't go their separate ways once they got back to Durham, N.C. But the team's two major stars, Laettner and Bobby Hurley, probably did, given that they hardly have been the best of friends since Hurley showed up three years ago."

Amid rumors of pre-NBA draft deals involving Tracy McGrady, Steve Francis and Shaquille O'Neal, the Washington Wizards reportedly pulled off the first major trade of the offseason last night, sending veterans Jerry Stackhouse and Christian Laettner, as well as the fifth overall pick in tonight's league draft, to the Dallas Mavericks for forward Antawn Jamison. The deal, first reported by ESPN.com and later by the Associated Press through an anonymous source, would strengthen Washington's frontcourt by adding Jamison, the NBA's Sixth Man winner last season, while reportedly placing Dallas in position to obtain O'Neal.

The winds of today's expansion draft that will stock the NBA's new Charlotte Bobcats may sweep Baltimore native Juan Dixon out of the area. The Bobcats will begin compiling their roster for play this fall with today's draft, selecting up to 14 players from the 29 other NBA teams, which were permitted to protect eight players under contract for next season. That process began last night with a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers. The Bobcats shipped their fourth overall pick in Thursday's amateur draft and a second-round pick, the 33rd overall, to the Clippers for the second pick Thursday and a promise that Charlotte will take center Predrag Drobnjak in the expansion draft.

WASHINGTON - Addressing the media for the first time since coming off a five-game suspension, Washington Wizards forward/center Christian Laettner expressed regret yesterday for violating the NBA's drug policy and declared himself "committed and devoted" to making sure it doesn't happen again. "It feels great. ... I still love the game," Laettner said after practice. "It was tough being away. Sometimes you say to yourself, `I need a vacation,' but as soon as I got back out there, I realized how much I miss the game.

WASHINGTON - Washington Wizards forward Christian Laettner was suspended for five games without pay yesterday by the NBA for violating the league's anti-drug policy. Laettner, 34, a 6-foot-11 forward who is in his 12th NBA season, was notified by the league Monday about the violation. His suspension began with last night's game against the Houston Rockets. Laettner, who is averaging 6.7 points and 5.3 rebounds in 30 games, can return to the team on Jan. 23 at Boston. "Christian knows that he made a mistake," said Wizards coach Eddie Jordan.

WASHINGTON - Beating the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs last night was going to be a tough enough challenge for the callow Washington Wizards, even if they played well. A confluence of factors, namely poor shooting, an injury to center Christian Laettner, the first-half ejection of guard Larry Hughes and solid Spurs defense, all came into play in a 95-71 San Antonio win, the Wizards' fourth straight loss. Laettner was a late scratch from the lineup because of back spasms, forcing Brendan Haywood and Kwame Brown to guard two-time Most Valuable Player Tim Duncan.

ATLANTA - In one of his last turns before the NBA media yesterday, Michael Jordan tossed off a few barbs, a few insults, and took a fond look back at the game he helped take to new heights. Jordan, who will appear in his 13th and final All-Star Game tonight, eliminated any chance that he will return for a 16th season this fall in his strongest statement to date on the subject. "I'm not tempted to continue on and play," said Jordan, who turns 40 on Feb. 17. "I just think this is my time.

DURHAM, N.C. -- Christian Laettner could see clearly yesterday. After being bogged down by collapsing defenses the past few games, Duke's All-America center saw the man-to-man coverage by Georgia Tech.He might not see it again for a while.Laettner got Matt Geiger into early foul trouble and gave the 14th-ranked Yellow Jackets fits all afternoon at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Scoring from a variety of angles and distances, the 6-foot-10 senior scored a season-high 33 points and led the top-ranked Blue Devils to a 97-84 knockout of Georgia Tech.

PHILADELPHIA -- Duke was a little more than two seconds away from the end of its magnificent run as college basketball's latest dynasty. Sean Woods was a little more than two seconds away from becoming Kentucky's newest legend.But Christian Laettner didn't let either happen last night.Taking a 75-foot inbounds pass from Grant Hill at the foul line, Laettner dribbled once, faked twice and shot a 16-footer that sent the defending champion Blue Devils to a heart-pounding, mind-boggling, 104-103 overtime victory over the Wildcats in the NCAA East Regional final at The Spectrum.

WASHINGTON - The Washington Wizards' coaching staff and players spend a lot of time trying to persuade Christian Laettner to shoot, which should come as a surprise to anyone who lost sight of the former Duke star's career after he led the Blue Devils to two national titles in the early 1990s. But Laettner showed no hesitation in pulling the trigger last night, hitting three big jumpers in the fourth quarter to help the Wizards pull out a 101-98 win over the Chicago Bulls before 20,172 at MCI Center.