Christian Laettner Brings Basketball Camp Home To Buffalo

Buffalo and Western New York have a rich history of basketball being played in the area. From top-notch players coming and the great college basketball teams to the former Buffalo Braves NBA team, Buffalo loves basketball.

One of the great things about having this connection to basketball is that from time to time, famous Buffalonians return home to the 716. This is something that's happening this week as Buffalo-born basketball great Christian Laettner is back in town this week leading his signature basketball camp at his alma mater in North Buffalo.

Who Is Christian Laettner

Widely considered the best college basketball player to ever play the game, Christian Donald Laettner is a former US Olympic Gold Medalist, NCAA Champion, NBA All-Star, and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame member who's from Western New York.

Laettner grew up in Angola, New York, a suburb of Buffalo, and played his high school basketball which is just north of Delaware Park in Buffalo. While at Nichols he set, and still holds, the school records for most points in a career while leading the team to two state championship titles.

After high school, Laettner continued his basketball career at Duke University in North Carolina. While at Duke, Laettner won several awards and honors as a player before leading the Blue Devils to two consecutive NCAA titles in 1991 and 1992.

In addition to that, he was the only college player who was a member of The Dream Team, aka US Men's National Basketball Team, winning the gold medal at the 1992 Olympics.

Over his 13-year NBA career, he played for Minnesota, Atlanta, Detroit, Dallas, Washington, and Miami.

Why Is Laettner Back In Buffalo

While Laettner currently lives in Florida, his love and dedication to Western New York and his alma mater Nichols hasn't diminished one bit. He often supports causes in the Buffalo area and routinely donates large sums of money to them.

One of the things he does is host his annual Basketball Camp at Nichols School for boys and girls between the ages of 10 and 18 to learn from one of the best people to ever play the game.

The Christian Laettner Basketball Academy is running this week and dozens of kids were on the court this morning to get started learning from the Buffalo-born NBA All-Star.