In 1992, the U.S. men's basketball team "Dream Team" swept the Barcelona Olympic Games. In the Dream Team, in addition to the NBA star, there is also a college player, he is Christian Lightner from Duke. His identity is special and doesn't stop there. He never played for the Bulls in his NBA career, but was teammate with Jordan twice.
Although his NBA career was not a success, Leitner was prominent in the NCAA. He led Duke to two NCAA titles, was named the best player in the United States, and won the MOP of the Final Four. He was also recorded in NCAA history when he beat the University of Kentucky with a jump shot in the 1992 NCAA Elite Quarterfinals. He was also hailed by coach K as "the most technically well-rounded player in Duke history."
After four seasons at Duke, Leitner averaged 16.6 points and 7.8 rebounds per game, shooting 57.4 percent from the field and 48.5 percent from three-point range. In his senior year, Leitner averaged 21.5 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, shooting 55.7 percent from three-point range. In addition, coupled with Leitner's handsome appearance, he quickly became the idol star of the NCAA at that time, capturing the hearts of countless fans.
In the end, Leitner was selected by the Timberwolves with the 3rd pick in the 1992 draft. Although he was defeated by O'Neal and Mourning, who were also outstanding university players of the Class of 1992, during the selection process of the Dream Team, Leitner pushed O'Neill and Morningn and boarded a plane to Barcelona.
At the time, the U.S. Basketball Association Selection Committee weighed it up and set the ratio of NBA stars to college players on the Dream One team at 11-1, with the only college player slots being created between Leitner, O'Neal and Mourning. In the end, the selection committee took into account a number of factors, notably rumors that they took care of the face of the old K coach who was the assistant coach of the Dream Team at the time, and thus chose Leitner. This made O'Neill extremely jealous.
But the Dream Team experience became a watershed in Lightner's career. He and the other 11 NBA superstars are not on the same level at all, and Barkley even joked: "The Dream Team is a team of 11 stars Garretner." "You can imagine Leitner's position in the team, he can only average 4.8 points per game.
As a result, there was such a miracle at that time: the dream team swept through the thousands of troops in Barcelona, but Leitner was bent on hoping that the Olympic Games would end soon.
This mentality also seems to have affected Leitner's subsequent NBA career. Although he was also named to the all-rookie team and was elected an All-Star, this is his only honor. He averaged 12.8 points and 6.7 rebounds per game and shot 48 percent from the field, far from being comparable to the NBA careers of O'Neal and Mourning. Moreover, until he waved off the NBA in 2005, he was still empty-handed, and he had not even reached the Finals.
However, it is worth mentioning that Leitner has never put on a Bulls jersey, but has been a teammate with Jordan twice. One time was naturally in the dream team, and the other time it was in the wizards. From 2001 to 2004, Leitner played for the Wizards for three and a half seasons, during which time Jordan made his second comeback for the Wizards between 2001 and 2003.
But unfortunately, the Wizards have not been able to break into the playoffs in these 2 seasons. Leitner was even banned from the NBA several times in January 2004 for taking marijuana.
Some players will find that the most cherished memories are still in the NCAA period when they bid farewell to the NBA, and Leitner is such a player. (Supine Braces/Hairy)