On the evening of February 26, 1992, Duke legend Christian Laettner got his iconic number 32 retired at Cameron Indoor Stadium before his second-to-last home game he would ever play in front of the Cameron Crazies. The 6’ 11” center seized the moment like he always seemed to do, pouring in 32 points with 13 rebounds as the Blue Devils beat Virginia, 76-67. It was a bittersweet moment for Coach K and the Duke faithful as it meant their superstar’s college days were numbered. Laettner held up this very jersey, already framed by the Athletic Department as a gift, in the pre-game ceremony at center court. An original 8x10 photograph from Chuck Liddy of the Durham Herald-Sun captured this emotional moment perfectly and is included in this lot.
The home white jersey with “DUKE” and “32” in blue tackle twill on the front is nicely displayed within a glass-covered frame measuring 25.5” by 27.5”. A placard at the top of the display reads “Christian Laettner | Retired Jersey | February 26, 1992”. We did not remove the jersey from the frame to examine, but we assume this is not a game-worn jersey. Most likely it is an authentic team-issued example made for Christian.
The UVA game started an incredible 13-game winning streak for Laettner and the Blue Devils that included: an 89-77 drubbing of rival UNC in their home finale; another 94-74 beatdown of the Tar Heels in the ACC Tournament title; the 104-103 thriller over Kentucky in the NCAA East Regional Final won on Laettner’s iconic “The Shot” at the Spectrum; an 81-78 win over Bobby Knight’s Hoosiers in the National Semifinal; and a 71-51 blowout over Michigan’s “Fab Five” in the NCAA Championship. Has anyone ever come close to finishing their college career better than that?
Includes LOA from Laettner.