.JPG) Langdon withCSKA Moscow in 2011 | |
| Detroit Pistons | |
|---|---|
| Title | President of basketball operations |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1976-05-13)May 13, 1976 (age 49) Palo Alto, California, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Listed weight | 211 lb (96 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | East Anchorage (Anchorage, Alaska) |
| College | Duke (1994–1999) |
| NBA draft | 1999: 1st round, 11th overall pick |
| Drafted by | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| Playing career | 1999–2011 |
| Position | Shooting guard |
| Number | 21 |
| Career history | |
| 1999–2002 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2002–2003 | Benetton Treviso |
| 2003 | Long Beach Jam |
| 2003–2004 | Efes Pilsen |
| 2004–2005 | Dynamo Moscow |
| 2005–2011 | CSKA Moscow |
| Career highlights | |
As player
| |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Trajan Shaka Langdon (born May 13, 1976) is an Americanbasketball executive and former professional player. He is the current president of basketball operations for theDetroit Pistons of theNational Basketball Association (NBA). A 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)[1][2] and 211 lb (96 kg)[3]shooting guard, he first gained fame in the U.S. while playingcollege basketball atDuke University.
Following a three-yearNBA stint, Langdon had a very successful career in Europe. A three-timeAll-EuroLeague Team member and theEuroLeague Final Four MVP in 2008, he won twoEuroLeague titles withCSKA Moscow in2006 and2008.
In March 2016, he was named the assistant general manager of theBrooklyn Nets, serving in the role until May 2019, when he was named thegeneral manager of theNew Orleans Pelicans. On May 31, 2024, he was hired as President of Basketball Operations by theDetroit Pistons.
Born inPalo Alto, California, Langdon moved to Anchorage, Alaska soon after. During his high school career, Langdon attendedSteller Secondary School, and played withEast Anchorage High School. He set the Alaska 4A state record of 2,200 career points scored, and was a 3-time Alaskan State Player of the Year.
He led East Anchorage to the 1994 Alaskan State Championship, and he played in theMcDonald's All-American Game, where he won the 3-point shooting contest.
Langdon also played high school baseball. Although his seasons were only twelve games long, as a senior hehit .333 with fourhome runs and 12RBI. In the league championship game, he gave up only four hits andstruck out eleven batters.[4]
After high school, Langdon moved on to playNCAA Division Icollege basketball atDuke, where he set the school record for the most career 3-point field goals made (which was broken byJJ Redick in 2006), earning him the nickname, "The Alaskan Assassin".[5] A major knee injury kept him sidelined for his entire sophomore year, so he finished his college career as a fifth year guard.[6][7]
In the1999 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament championship game, with Duke down 1 point to theUConn Huskies, with 5.4 seconds to go in the game, Langdon attempted to drive the ball into the lane, and committed a traveling violation that turned the ball over to UConn. Analysts, as well as Langdon himself, credited the defense ofRicky Moore, who was considered the top defensive player in the tournament, for forcing the travel.[8][9][10][11][12]
A baseball scout discovered Langdon playing catch with his father in the parking lot of their hotel during Langdon's recruiting trip to Duke and was immediately impressed.[4] Langdon was selected in the 6th round of the1994 Major League Baseball draft out of high school by theSan Diego Padres, ahead of such eventual All-Stars asCarl Pavano andPlácido Polanco.[13] At the time he was the highest drafted player ever out of Alaska.[14] He signed with the Padres and received a $230,000 signing bonus. BecauseNCAA rules at the time prevented a player from receiving a scholarship in one sport while playing another professionally, Langdon had to play basketball at Duke without a scholarship while playingMinor League Baseball during the summer.[15] In three seasons in the minors, he played in 50 games for theSpokane Indians andIdaho Falls Braves.[16]
Langdon was selected by theNBA'sCleveland Cavaliers in the1999 NBA draft. Langdon made his professional debut with the Cavaliers on November 2, 1999, when he became the first Alaskan to play in the NBA. Following a three-year career with the Cavaliers, Langdon moved toEurope to play for theItalian League clubBenetton Treviso for the 2002–03 season.
The following season, after being waived by theLos Angeles Clippers in the preseason, he originally signed with and briefly played for theLong Beach Jam before he moved to theTurkish League powerhouseEfes Pilsen. For the 2004–05 season, he moved on to theRussian League clubDynamo Moscow, before moving across town toCSKA Moscow for the 2005–06 season. Langdon was named to theAll-EuroLeague Second Team for the2005–06 season. CSKA won theEuroLeague championship that same season.
The following season, he helped CSKA return to the EuroLeague championship game, where they lost to Greek powerPanathinaikos, on the Greek team's home court.[a] In the process, he was named to the All-EuroLeague First Team for the2006–07 season, a feat that he repeated in the2007–08 season. On May 4, 2008, he was named theEuroLeague Final Four MVP, after again winning the EuroLeague title with CSKA.[17]
On October 7, 2006, Langdon led his CSKA Moscow team to a 94–75 win over the Clippers, in anNBA Europe Live Tourexhibition game. Coincidentally, he played against his formerDuke University teammateElton Brand, who was playing for the Clippers at that time. He led all scorers in the game with 17 points.[18]
In June 2011, he announced his retirement from playing professional basketball. He made his announcement two days after helping CSKA to its ninth consecutiveRussian championship.[19][20]
After graduating fromDuke, with degrees in mathematics and history, Langdon played for theUSA national basketball team at the1998 FIBA World Championship, winning the bronze medal.[21]
After his playing days ended, Langdon was a scout for theSan Antonio Spurs, from 2012 to 2015.[22] On March 8, 2016, he was named the assistantgeneral manager of theBrooklyn Nets.[22] On May 19, 2019, Langdon was named the general manager of theNew Orleans Pelicans.[23]
On May 31, 2024, Langdon was named President of Basketball Operations for theDetroit Pistons.[24][25]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | PIR | Performance index rating |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999–00 | Cleveland | 10 | 0 | 14.5 | .375 | .421 | 1.000 | 1.5 | 1.1 | .5 | .0 | 4.9 |
| 2000–01 | Cleveland | 65 | 5 | 17.2 | .431 | .411 | .895 | 1.4 | 1.2 | .6 | .1 | 6.0 |
| 2001–02 | Cleveland | 44 | 0 | 10.8 | .398 | .365 | .913 | 1.3 | 1.4 | .3 | .1 | 4.8 |
| Career | 119 | 5 | 14.6 | .416 | .396 | .910 | 1.3 | 1.3 | .5 | .1 | 5.4 | |
| † | Denotes season in which Langdon won theEuroLeague |
| * | Led the league |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG | PIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002–03 | Treviso | 21 | 19 | 28.6 | .540 | .511 | .759 | 2.7 | 1.7 | 1.6 | .1 | 14.8 | 13.4 |
| 2003–04 | Efes | 20 | 19 | 33.1 | .461 | .391 | .864 | 3.0 | 1.6 | 1.5 | .2 | 14.3 | 13.0 |
| 2005–06† | CSKA Moscow | 24 | 24 | 31.8 | .453 | .390 | .860 | 3.1 | 1.5 | 1.3 | .2 | 12.8 | 11.6 |
| 2006–07 | 25 | 25 | 29.5 | .475 | .420 | .925* | 4.0 | 1.0 | 1.6 | .2 | 13.5 | 14.6 | |
| 2007–08† | 25* | 25* | 29.1 | .512 | .458 | .884 | 3.3 | .9 | 1.2 | .1 | 12.6 | 13.0 | |
| 2008–09 | 21 | 21* | 28.8 | .494 | .432 | .878 | 2.7 | 1.3 | 1.0 | — | 10.6 | 11.2 | |
| 2009–10 | 21 | 21 | 32.2 | .505 | .470 | .913 | 3.0 | 1.1 | 1.4 | .0 | 15.0 | 15.6 | |
| 2010–11 | 10 | 9 | 27.5 | .397 | .229 | .708 | 2.2 | .5 | .2 | — | 8.3 | 4.5 | |
| Career | 167 | 163 | 30.2 | .486 | .427 | .868 | 3.1 | 1.3 | 1.3 | .1 | 13.0 | 12.7 | |
Langdon is the son of social worker Gladys, andDr. Steve Langdon, a professor of anthropology at theUniversity of Alaska Anchorage.[26] Trajan traveled with his father on many anthropological trips within southeastern Alaska. His father studied the Indigenous Nation of southeastern Alaska known as theTlingit Nation.
· Basketball Reference
