Langston Galloway spent eight years in the NBA, earning contract after contract thanks to his ability to consistently knock down three-pointers with ease. He’s spent time with seven different franchises throughout his career. This allowed the journeyman combo guard to hoop alongside some excellent players. Galloway even helped Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns reach the NBA Finals in 2021.
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Even though Galloway’s NBA career ended somewhat early following his age-30 campaign, he’s seen and experienced plenty at the professional level. He’s seen what stars do behind the scenes to keep their body right and build on their multi-faceted skill sets.
Galloway’s longest stint was with the Detroit Pistons, where he spent three full seasons. However, his most prominent role came when an opportunity opened up with the New York Knicks. As an undrafted rookie, not much was expected from the Saint Joseph’s product in his first campaign, but Galloway performed nonetheless.
Instead of serving as a forgettable reserve, Galloway stepped into New York’s starting point guard slot in 2014-15. Averaging over 32 minutes per game, Galloway was able to play his biggest role alongside Carmelo Anthony, where he was able to to witness the Hall of Famer’s insatiable drive.
So when Galloway was asked who among his former teammates had the best work ethic, it wasn’t the hardest question to answer. “You know, the number one player that I was around the most was with Melo, and he, you know, night in, night out, I would always see him, you know, obviously come to practice, get his work in,” Galloway spoke exclusively to The SportsRush’s Adit Pujari.
“After practice, he would go and, you know, get some more shots up. And then you hear about, you know, in the summertime, you know, he’s working out three or four times a day,” the 33-year-old continued. “So it’s like, just to be able to see that at the beginning of my career really shaped and molded, you know, how I went, how I wanted my career to prolong.”
Galloway learned early in his career what it would take to establish himself in the association. If he hadn’t seen the work Melo was putting in firsthand, Galloway may not have been prepared for a long-term career in the league. He may have lost his starting spot after his rookie campaign, but he remained an effective bench scorer for several more years.
“And so, you know, there’s not a moment that goes by, you know, I’m practicing, I get shots up in the afternoon, just being able to get a routine from like, while I’m in the season, while I’m out of the season,” he shared. “And, you know, Melo obviously is one top tier to be able to see this past summer with USA … and how he takes care of his body to be able to do what he does on the court.”
Galloway had the chance to hoop alongside even more superstars with the USA Select Team that got to have a three-day training camp with the Team USA men’s basketball team. There, Galloway was able to face off with the likes of LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry, who he also had high praise for.
“KD, another, you know, he just works his ass off every single day and then you look at Steph. I mean, to see, you know, the time and the effort that he puts into it with the shots that he makes in game, like to see it up close and personal this past summer with USA, it’s unbelievable, unbelievable,” Galloway went on.
“So, you know, I give a lot of thanks to all of them because I was able to see that up close and personal and, you know, to be able to, you know, have my game follow after theirs,” he closed.
He may no longer be in the NBA, but Galloway is clearly grateful for last summer’s opportunity and the chance to learn from some of the greatest to ever play the game. Through hard work and soaking up knowledge, Galloway’s career outlasted the average by over three seasons.
