PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla., March 16 (UPI) -- It took just 2.1 seconds for former Duke basketball star Christian Laettner to draw the ire of fans the world over, but it took 23 years and a two-hour documentary to get some to realize maybe he's not that hate-worthy.
To coincide with the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, ESPN Films broadcast I Hate Christian Laettner Sunday evening -- the latest in the network's acclaimed "30 For 30" sports documentary series. The film documents Laettner's four years as a Duke Blue Devil and his career in the NBA.
And, of course, the shot heard round the college basketball world on March 28, 1992.
Laettner, now 45, took the liberty of tweeting live throughout the film's broadcast, during which he made several remarks -- and even apologized for one of the things that has made him so reviled in the years since.
Late during the 1992 East Regional Final in Philadelphia, Laettner appeared to stomp on the chest of Kentucky forward Aminu Timberlake during action under the basket. Many who watched the game felt that Laettner, Duke's star player, should have been ejected from the game. Instead, he incurred only a technical foul and remained on the floor -- to the anguish of millions of Kentucky fans who would later witness 2.1 seconds of heartbreak on the game's final play, in which Laettner caught a pass thrown nearly the entire length of the floor, funked a little shimmy and sank the game-winning shot at the buzzer.
During the film's broadcast Sunday, Laettner posted a video tweet in which he apologized to Timberlake.
"Hey Aminu, some say I had the perfect game against you guys. But I made a mistake when I stepped on you," he said. "I'm sorry."
Monday, Timberlake issued his own tweet, saying, "over 20 yrs later #theapology. never thought the day would come."
In a video accompanying his tweet, Timberlake elaborated.
"Hey Christian, I wasn't holding my breath. It's been over 20 years but I do appreciate and accept the apology," he said. "I enjoyed your show, enjoyed being a part of it.
"Oh yeah, one more thing -- Go Big Blue."
I Hate Christian Laettner provided a retrospective look at Laettner's basketball career and gave viewers an inside look at the man -- something all the fans who have hated him for two decades on hadn't seen before. And that glimpse proved to be a game-changer for some haters.
"Am I starting to like Christian Laettner?" tweeted Michelle Beadle.
"That 30 for 30 was too real. So much more respect for Laettner after that," wrote Kyle Wiltjer.
"Never thought I'd say this but after watching the [film], I like [Laettner] now after hating him my whole life," noted Brett Couch.
"After last nite... I'm gonna take my "Still Hate Laettner" bumper sticker off," declared Matt Stice.
But Laettner went even further, as he seemed to turn the documentary's airing into a fully interactive Twitter affair, talking directly at some tweeps, pledging to send an autographed jersey to another -- and even calling up a few on the phone.
"Just got a phone call from Christian Laettner.. Life made," Braden Oliver tweeted.
After winning a national championship with the Blue Devils twice, in 1991 and 1992, Laettner was the lone collegiate player selected to play on the 1992 Summer Olympic Team USA "Dream Team," which featured numerous NBA legends and is often cited as the greatest team ever assembled.
Laettner's inclusion on that team stirred some controversy, both at the time and in years that followed, as some felt collegiate standout and eventual number one draft pick and NBA great Shaquille O'Neal should have been selected instead -- yet another stirring of the pot that did Laettner's public perception no favors.
Laettner went on to play for 13 seasons in the NBA with Minnesota, Atlanta, Detroit, Dallas, Washington and Miami before retiring in 2005.
"At 45, I'm different than when I was 20. Maybe now you understand a little bit more about who I am and what fuels me," Laettner tweeted after the film's broadcast Sunday.
