Christian Laettner was recently on the ‘Dan Patrick Show‘, where he was asked about his experience playing alongside Michael Jordan. Being the only collegiate player on the Dream Team, the Blue Devil legend got front-row seats to the jaw-dropping action.
The former All-Star praised Jordan and crowned him as his GOAT. But, unlike normal MJ ‘stans’, Laettner pointed to No.23’s defense as being his main selling point in the GOAT debate. For him, Jordan is not only the best on the offensive end but also on the defensive end. The former Wolves forward further revealed,
“My first impression of Jordan and my last impression is how much effort he puts forward on the defensive end….People don’t talk about that enough. People don’t stress that enough… MJ was the greatest defender, also.”
Laettner wasn’t a passive ‘fanboy’ on the team either, as he got real minutes during the Barcelona Olympics. The 6’11” forward averaged 4.8 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1 steal, and 0.4 blocks on 7.6 minutes of play during the 1992 Olympics. Though seven minutes of play might not sound like a lot, for a college player to even make the team was a big deal, to begin with.
Games aside, Laettner also matched against Jordan during practices, as he recalled Jordan going full speed at him. But for Laettner to call Jordan the ‘best defender of all time’ might be a stretch for some fans.
Jordan has the accolades to match Laettner’s praise. While anchoring the Bulls’ offense, Jordan not only managed to make nine all-defensive first teams, most in NBA history but also won the Defensive Player of the Year award back in 1988.
Laettner enraged Michael Jordan through Ping-Pong
It’s no surprise that Jordan hates losing and not just in basketball. So, when Jordan and the Dream Team flew to Barcelona, he made sure he won at anything and everything. The only problem with Jordan’s plan was that Christian Laettner was a fantastic ping-pong player, and even managed to defeat Jordan on one occasion.
Nate Butler, a photographer traveling with the Dream Team, recalled what transpired after Jordan’s loss. While the GOAT was frustrated and disappointed at his loss, he practiced hard, off the game, to win next time. Talking about the incident to Slam Magazine, the veteran photographer revealed,
“Michael is playing ping-pong, sweating, like 4th quarter at-the-free-throw-line kind of sweat. For some reason, Laettner beat him. He [Jordan] threw his paddle. He didn’t talk for two days to anyone. Come to find out, he had a ping-pong table delivered up to his room.”
Jordan got his revenge on Laettner just two days later, as the Bulls legend thrashed the Blue Devil, 21-4. Having witnessed Jordan’s competitive fire first-hand, it’s understandable why Laettner called Jordan the greatest. Even though there are better athletes, better shooters, and far better thinkers of the game, Jordan stands alone as the most competitive of the bunch.
