Christian Laettner

“I'd love to do movies.”

“I made three visits during my senior year of high school to Duke, UNC, and Virginia. If I hadn't gone to Duke, I would have went to Carolina, just like a lot of Carolina players who, had they not gone there, would have went to Duke.”

“Honestly, the Carolina games I played in every year were more intense than the national championship games I played in - they had a better environment.”

“Shaq is such a load. He's so big and strong, but it's possible to play well against him.”

“I'm versatile in every part of my game - except being nice, which I am only at home.”

“I don't believe many teams can do it just with one really, really good player. You have to be surrounded with a good cast.”

“My second choice would've been Carolina. And when I told my mother I was going to Duke and not Carolina, she just cried, and that made my decision process a little harder. But I still went with what felt right, and it ended up working out well for me.”

“I don't think the world hated Duke basketball before me.”

“As a thrill in my career, the Olympics rank right up there with my two NCAA championships at Duke.”

“You cannot just allow your team to stink.”

“Given the way Duke plays its offense and defense, in high school I was very interested in playing for Coach K. Then when you get there and see how good he is, you buy into it a hundred percent. He has a recipe for how to be successful on the court.”

“Any opposing gym we go into, I want them to hate me. At the end of the game, I want to be beating their team so bad that they should hate me.”

“Every Olympics, when I was growing up and playing basketball, my parents and I made it a point to sit down and watch the U.S.A. compete. To join that team later, and play and practice one-on-one with David Robinson, Larry Bird, Chris Mullens and all these guys I looked up to, was a dream come true.”

“Everyone says I was real cute as a kid, but from 8 to 19, I was horrible-looking, freaky.”

“You can only be that confident if you know you've done the work.”

“I got a beautiful wife and beautiful, healthy children, and that's really all you can ask for.”

“People mature. They learn. They get better at things. You're different when you're 45 than when you're 25.”

“Basketball is more than just strength and power.”

“A layup or two early will help your confidence.”

“I always played my best when I respected my opponent and was a little scared of them because they could beat me. Every game I played in college, that was the case.”