Andrew Lang (basketball)
Encyclopedia
Andrew Charles Lang Jr. (born June 28, 1966 in Pine Bluff, Arkansas
) is a retired American
professional basketball
player in the NBA
.
After a four-year career at the University of Arkansas
, Lang was selected by the Phoenix Suns
as the 3rd pick in the 2nd round (28th overall) of the 1988 NBA draft
. He quickly developed a reputation as a proficient shotblocker. For years, he maintained the fourth all-time NBA record of one blocked shot every 9.12 minutes.
Lang was traded in 1992 (along with Jeff Hornacek
and Tim Perry
) to the Philadelphia 76ers
for NBA All-Star forward Charles Barkley
.
This journeyman
center also played for the Atlanta Hawks
, Minnesota Timberwolves
, Milwaukee Bucks
, Chicago Bulls
and New York Knicks
before retiring in 2000. He finished his career averaging 6.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocked shots per game.
Lang is the 55th all time leading shotblocker in NBA history.
He is known infamously
in New York for a 1997 incident at the Bradley Center
in Milwaukee, involving Knicks star center Patrick Ewing
. After a midair collision with Lang, Ewing fell on his wrist and did not return until the second round of the playoffs. Ewing never again regained his All-Star form after that injury. Ironically, Lang later signed with the Knicks to be Ewing's backup at the center position.
Lang is a Christian evangelist
and is currently employed by the Atlanta Hawks
as the team chaplain
. Lang lives in Marietta, Georgia
with his wife, Bronwyn. His son Trey plays college basketball for the UMass Minutemen
. His other son, Chad, plays college basketball for the Belmont Bruins.
Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Pine Bluff is the largest city and county seat of Jefferson County, Arkansas, United States. It is also the principal city of the Pine Bluff Metropolitan Statistical Area and part of the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Pine Bluff, Arkansas Combined Statistical Area...
) is a retired American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player in the NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
.
After a four-year career at the University of Arkansas
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
, Lang was selected by the Phoenix Suns
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...
as the 3rd pick in the 2nd round (28th overall) of the 1988 NBA draft
NBA Draft
The NBA Draft is an annual event in which the thirty teams from the National Basketball Association can draft players who are eligible and wish to join the league. These players are usually amateur U.S. college basketball players, but international players are also eligible to be drafted...
. He quickly developed a reputation as a proficient shotblocker. For years, he maintained the fourth all-time NBA record of one blocked shot every 9.12 minutes.
Lang was traded in 1992 (along with Jeff Hornacek
Jeff Hornacek
Jeffrey John Hornacek is a retired American basketball player who played at the shooting guard position in the NBA from 1986–2000.-Elementary and high school:...
and Tim Perry
Tim Perry
Timothy D. Perry is an American professional basketball player, formerly in the NBA.Following a college career at Temple University, Perry was selected seventh overall by the Phoenix Suns in the 1988 NBA Draft. Through eight NBA seasons, he averaged 6.8 points and four rebounds per game...
) to the Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...
for NBA All-Star forward Charles Barkley
Charles Barkley
Charles Wade Barkley is a former American professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Sir Charles" and "The Round Mound of Rebound", Barkley established himself as one of the National Basketball Association's most dominating power forwards...
.
This journeyman
Journeyman
A journeyman is someone who completed an apprenticeship and was fully educated in a trade or craft, but not yet a master. To become a master, a journeyman had to submit a master work piece to a guild for evaluation and be admitted to the guild as a master....
center also played for the Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...
, Minnesota Timberwolves
Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . Founded in 1989, the team is currently owned by Glen Taylor...
, Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They are part of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and currently plays at the Bradley Center....
, Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...
and New York Knicks
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
before retiring in 2000. He finished his career averaging 6.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocked shots per game.
Lang is the 55th all time leading shotblocker in NBA history.
He is known infamously
Infamy
Infamy, in common usage, is notoriety gained from a negative incident or reputation . The word stems from the Latin infamia, antonym of fama ....
in New York for a 1997 incident at the Bradley Center
Bradley Center
The Bradley Center is an indoor arena, located on the northwest corner of North 4th and West State Streets, in Downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin....
in Milwaukee, involving Knicks star center Patrick Ewing
Patrick Ewing
Patrick Aloysius Ewing Sr. is a Jamaican-American retired Hall of Fame basketball player and current assistant coach for the National Basketball Association's Orlando Magic. He played most of his career with the NBA's New York Knicks as their starting center and played briefly with the Seattle...
. After a midair collision with Lang, Ewing fell on his wrist and did not return until the second round of the playoffs. Ewing never again regained his All-Star form after that injury. Ironically, Lang later signed with the Knicks to be Ewing's backup at the center position.
Lang is a Christian evangelist
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
and is currently employed by the Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...
as the team chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
. Lang lives in Marietta, Georgia
Marietta, Georgia
Marietta is a city located in central Cobb County, Georgia, United States, and is its county seat.As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 56,579, making it one of metro Atlanta's largest suburbs...
with his wife, Bronwyn. His son Trey plays college basketball for the UMass Minutemen
UMass Minutemen basketball
The UMass Minutemen basketball team, also known as the Massachusetts Minutemen, represents the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, Massachusetts, in NCAA Division I men's competition...
. His other son, Chad, plays college basketball for the Belmont Bruins.