It’s been almost 25 years to the day since Christian Laettner hit that miracle turnaround shot to sink the Kentucky Wildcats in the Elite 8 and send his Duke Blue Devils to the Final Four. It was the apotheosis of a college hoops career that saw him become one of the most hated players in the history of NCAA basketball. They even made an ESPN 30 for 30 documentary about it called I Hate Christian Laettner.
It’s a good bet nobody hates Christian Laettner more than the Kentucky Wildcats and their fans, and as if they needed any more fuel for their interminable loathing, Laettner just drove a gasoline truck into the middle of the quad in Lexington with this cheeky late-night tweet.
Luke my son…May the force of the #32 be with you. #uncdownsthecats #theshotlives
— Christian Laettner (@laettnerbball) March 27, 2017
It was one of the best games of the tournament, by far, and it all came down to sophomore Luke Maye’s incredible last-second shot.
jmann: MARCH MADNESS!!!!!! CBS Post Game Show https://t.co/s63bEjfYog pic.twitter.com/WlgePmaNvV
— FanSportsClips (@FanSportsClips) March 26, 2017
It earned him a standing ovation at his 8 a.m. class on Monday morning, which he actually attended because of course he did. Anyway, his shot must’ve seemed eerily familiar to Kentucky fans, especially given the fact that he wears the same jersey number as Laettner.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3_IT622Sbc
Duke and North Carolina are mortal enemies, so it’s a little curious that Laettner would so gleefully celebrate a Tar Heels win, but it’s clear he couldn’t resist the opportunity to stick it to the Wildcats one more time. After all, his Twitter profile pic is of him hitting that infamous shot, with a banner that reads #HATERSGONNAHATE.
