SALT LAKE CITY — During the summer of 1990, two freshmen arrived on the campus of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, from different walks of life.
Grant Hill, the son of former Dallas Cowboys running back Calvin Hill, prepped at South Lakes High School in Reston, Virginia.
Meanwhile, Antonio Lang was raised in Mobile, Alabama — where the valedictorian led LeFlore High School to a 1989 state title.
In the years to follow, those teenagers would develop a lifelong bond that they continue to share to this day as grown men.
Lang is an assistant coach for the Utah Jazz while Hill is a NBA Hall of Famer and part-owner of the Atlanta Hawks who also works as an analyst for Turner Sports.
“It’s hard because he’s in season so we’ll text more than anything (and) we don’t see as much as I’d like, but we definitely keep in contact and nothing’s changed,” Hill told the Deseret News. “It’s just like we’re 18 again in the dorm and fussing, arguing, debating. We certainly have a lot of respect and admiration for one another.”
Hill and Lang were college roommates for three of their four seasons at Duke, where they shared countless memories — including back-to-back NCAA titles in 1991 and 1992. Both would go on to play in the NBA, but the core of their strong bond was developed on campus.
“So, Tony’s from Mobile, Alabama, and I remember the first two weeks of school I never could understand what he was saying because he was so country,” Hill recalled, laughing. “So, because he was so country, I started calling him ‘Cotton’ and that was his nickname ‘Cotton.’”
In fact, the only reason they lived together for three years instead of four was because of pet that Lang decided to purchased.
“My senior year I got my own place,” Hill recalled, laughing. “He bought a pit bull and I couldn’t have a pit bull in my apartment.”
Look, people don’t realize Tony was a high school valedictorian. He’s a bright guy, he’s engaging, he’s got a lot of personality, he knows the game and he can communicate the game to connect with people. – Grant Hill
Both Hill and Lang are now 46 years old and married with children. Lang’s sons, T.J. and Alan, are currently playing college basketball at the University of South Florida and Weber State University but have enjoyed the perks of their dad’s relationships over the years.
From attending NBA games to being in college locker rooms as kids, even at 19 years old, Alan Lang still cherishes those experiences.
“I remember I was probably in middle school in maybe the fifth grade and we went to a Phoenix Suns game when they played New Orleans,” Alan Lang said. “My dad came out and was like, ‘This is Steve Nash,’ and I couldn’t believe this little small white dude was coming out and I said, ‘What’s up,' then he said, ‘I’ve known your dad for a long time,’ then Grant came out so it was crazy.”
Although his kids may not have understood the significance of those moments at the time, being able to create those opportunities for his children has certainly brought Lang joy throughout the years.
“I had them when I was still playing so they got a chance to see me play, which was kind of some extra motivation,” said Lang, who enjoyed a six-year NBA career after being drafted by the Suns in 1994. “They were always around basketball. Even when they were kids, we would go to Duke and they could walk in the locker room and I don’t think they really understood it but they always were around it so I think that was that extra push to make them want to play.”
Lang is currently in his fifth year as an assistant for Jazz head coach Quin Snyder, another Duke alumni. Legendary Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski is proud of the Duke pipeline in Salt Lake City with Lang, Snyder and rookie guard Grayson Allen.
“We’re really happy that he gave Antonio Lang an opportunity,” Krzyzewski said. “Antonio was coaching in Japan and I think there was an adjustment period when you go from coaching in Japan to the NBA, but Antonio has really made that adjustment well. He’s a good person and he’s not only a good coach but he’s somebody that you would want your guys to be around on a day-to-day basis.”
Even with the nod of Coach K and Snyder, if you would’ve asked Hill back in 1990 when they were teenagers if Lang would’ve become a coach, he wouldn’t have believed you.
However, nearly three decades later, it all makes sense.
“As a coach back then? Hell no,” Hill said, laughing. “Look, people don’t realize Tony was a high school valedictorian. He’s a bright guy, he’s engaging, he’s got a lot of personality, he knows the game and he can communicate the game to connect with people.
“That’s 70 percent of it right there so I think looking back now, yeah, knowing what I know, you could say, ‘Yeah, he would be a good coach one day.’”