Trajan Shaka Langdon Basketball player Date of Birth: 13.05.1976 Country: USA

1. Biography of Trajan Shaka Langdon
2. Early Life and College Career
3. European Career
4. CSKA Moscow and Success
5. Continued Success and Retirement
6. Personal Life

Biography of Trajan Shaka Langdon

Trajan Shaka Langdon, born on May 13, 1976, in Palo Alto, California, is an American basketball player who played as a guard for the Moscow basketball club CSKA. He spent three seasons in the NBA and became a champion in Italy and Turkey. In 2006, Langdon won the Russian championship and the EuroLeague with CSKA. He also represented the United States national team and won bronze medals in the 1998 World Championship.

Early Life and College Career

Langdon grew up in Alaska and from 1994 to 1999, with a one-season break, he played for Duke University in the NCAA championship. In 1998, he was invited to join the United States national team and won bronze medals in the World Championship. In 1999, Langdon led Duke University to the NCAA finals. The same year, he was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 11th overall pick of the NBA draft.

European Career

Langdon played for the Cleveland Cavaliers for three years but did not achieve significant success. In 2002, he moved to Europe and signed a contract with Italian club Benetton. In his first season, he won the Italian championship, the Italian Cup, and reached the EuroLeague ULEB finals. Before the start of the 2003/04 season, Langdon signed with the Turkish club Efes Pilsen and became the champion of Turkey and the winner of the national cup. In the summer of 2004, he joined the Moscow team Dynamo and won silver medals in the Russian championship.

CSKA Moscow and Success

In August 2005, Langdon was invited by CSKA Moscow's new head coach Ettore Messina, who previously worked with him at Benetton. Langdon signed a three-year contract and became a replacement for Marcus Brown, a fan favorite, who had been with CSKA Moscow for two years. Langdon proved himself as a player capable of both scoring and defending, playing as a shooting guard and small forward. He became one of the team leaders in key EuroLeague matches. In the final game against Maccabi Tel Aviv, he made two free throws in the last seconds, securing a victory for CSKA Moscow with a score of 73-69. In the spring of 2006, Langdon also won the Russian championship and the Russian Cup.

Continued Success and Retirement

In the 2006/07 season, Langdon remained one of the team's leaders in scoring and playing time. CSKA Moscow had victories in the preliminary stage and the Top 16 of the EuroLeague. In the quarter-finals against Maccabi Tel Aviv, Langdon was the top scorer, scoring 20 points in the decisive third game. In the semi-finals against Unicaja, he again became the top scorer for CSKA Moscow. Langdon was included in the All-EuroLeague First Team for the 2006/07 season. Although CSKA Moscow lost to Panathinaikos in the final, Langdon scored 16 points and made two consecutive three-pointers to reduce the deficit to two points. In the 2007-2008 season, CSKA Moscow became the EuroLeague champion, with Langdon being named the Final Four MVP. In June 2011, Langdon announced his retirement along with his close friend and teammate, John Robert Holden.

Personal Life

Langdon is married to Russian woman Tatiana, with whom he has a son named Tayden, born in 2008. He is known for his exceptional long-range shooting ability, as well as his speed, technical skills, and reliable defense.