Christian Laettner

Christian Donald Laettner (born August 17, 1969 in Angola, New York) is a professional basketball player with the NBA. He has played for five different teams in the NBA, and he was a member of the Dream Team of the 1992 Summer Olympics. He was a member of the 1991 and 1992 NCAA champions, the Duke University Blue Devils.

Business and Philanthropy

Laettner co-owns the community development company Blue Devil Ventures (BDV) with former Duke teammate Brian Davis and Duke alumnus Tom Niemann. According to its website, BDV renovates historic properties in downtown Durham, North Carolina in order to "promote a healthy and thriving urban environment" in economically struggling Durham.

Related Topics:
Duke - Brian Davis - Durham - North Carolina

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On July 28, 2005, Laettner and Davis donated $2 million to Duke's men's basketball program to endow an athletic scholarship and support the construction of a planned athletics center and basketball practice facility. Their donation to the Duke Legacy Fund - which seeks to make the Duke basketball program financially self-sufficient - represents the largest donation by former Duke basketball players to the program since Grant Hill endowed a $1 million scholarship in 2000.

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