UNC Basketball: 7 reasons that North Carolina fans hate Duke

Christian Laettner

Christian Laettner remains the most hated player in Duke basketball history despite hanging up his Blue Devils jersey nearly 30 years ago. Unlike a number of other former Dukies, Laettner was mostly hated for being a great college basketball player, and for the tremendous amount of success that he saw during his four years with the Blue Devils. Sure, Laettner had his fair share of questionable moments and borderline dirty plays, but it pales in comparison to a player like Grayson Allen. Similarly to Allen, though, Laettner never lacked confidence on the court, which was often seen as cockiness that opposing fans grew tired of.

Laettner’s list of accomplishments are enough to make any UNC basketball fan angry — two national titles, consensus National Player of the Year and ACC Player of the Year are just a few. He managed to draw the ire of other fan bases, too, as his Blue Devils knocked off some of America’s most beloved college basketball teams. The UNLV Running Rebels fell victim to the Blue Devils in 1991, as did Michigan’s Fab Five in 1992. It might be Kentucky Wildcats fans who hate him more than anyone else, though. His famous buzzer beater against the Wildcats in the 1992 Elite 8 solidified that hate for generations to come.

In four seasons at Duke, Laettner started 128 of 148 games for the Blue Devils. He averaged 16.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.6 steals and a block in 27 minutes per game. He shot better than 57 percent from the floor for his career, and nearly 81 percent from the free throw line. Maybe even more impressive for the 6-foot-11, 235-pound center is that he converted 48.5 percent of his three-point attempts in college, and hit a sweltering 55.7 percent from beyond the arc as a senior.

With a pedigree like that, and the swagger to match it, it’s easy to see why North Carolina fans couldn’t stand Laettner. And Michigan. And Kentucky. Well, you get the point.