Lang Whitaker
Encyclopedia
Lang Whitaker is an American
author
and sportswriter who works as the editor-at-large of SLAM Magazine
, a hip-hop-influenced basketball magazine.
In summer 2004, Whitaker began to write weekly columns for SI.com, the official Sports Illustrated
website.
He attended the University of Georgia
and has written for magazines, newspapers and made guest appearances on television. He lives in New York with his wife and their dog Starbury, who is named after former New York Knicks
point guard Stephon Marbury
. He is an avid fan of Atlanta's three major professional sports franchises: basketball's Atlanta Hawks
, baseball's Atlanta Braves
, and football's Atlanta Falcons
as well as English
soccer team Manchester United.
In 2007, Whitaker won the NBA Blogger Awards' Lifetime Achievement Award for his work on "The Links" on SLAMonline.com, as voted on by Dan Shanoff. From 2006-2008, Whitaker was the editor-in-chief of Striker, an American soccer magazine. From 2008-10, Whitaker wrote a weekly column for Hawks.com, the official site of the Atlanta Hawks. During the 2008-09 NBA season, he did color commentary on several radio broadcasts of Hawks games. Whitaker has also been written about in The New Yorker and The New York Times. He recently appeared as a cultural commenter on VH1's series "I Love the New Millennium
." Since 2008, he has been a regular contributor on NBA TV
.
In 2010, he was one of the co-authors of the book "FreeDarko Presents: The Undisputed Guide to Pro Basketball History."
His memoir about growing up as a fan of the Atlanta Braves and Bobby Cox, titled "In the Time of Bobby Cox: The Atlanta Braves, Their Manager, My Couch, Two Decades, and Me," was released in March, 2011, from Scribner.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and sportswriter who works as the editor-at-large of SLAM Magazine
SLAM Magazine
SLAM Magazine is an American basketball magazine in circulation since 1994, published by Source Interlink. SLAM publishes nine issues a year to its circulation of over 500,000 readers worldwide.-History:...
, a hip-hop-influenced basketball magazine.
In summer 2004, Whitaker began to write weekly columns for SI.com, the official Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
website.
He attended the University of Georgia
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
and has written for magazines, newspapers and made guest appearances on television. He lives in New York with his wife and their dog Starbury, who is named after former 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...
point guard Stephon Marbury
Stephon Marbury
Stephon Xavier Marbury is an American professional basketball player.The , point guard was selected out of the Georgia Institute of Technology by the Milwaukee Bucks with the 4th overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft, but was traded shortly thereafter to the Minnesota Timberwolves.He was an NBA...
. He is an avid fan of Atlanta's three major professional sports franchises: basketball's 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:...
, baseball's Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
, and football's Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
as well as English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
soccer team Manchester United.
In 2007, Whitaker won the NBA Blogger Awards' Lifetime Achievement Award for his work on "The Links" on SLAMonline.com, as voted on by Dan Shanoff. From 2006-2008, Whitaker was the editor-in-chief of Striker, an American soccer magazine. From 2008-10, Whitaker wrote a weekly column for Hawks.com, the official site of the Atlanta Hawks. During the 2008-09 NBA season, he did color commentary on several radio broadcasts of Hawks games. Whitaker has also been written about in The New Yorker and The New York Times. He recently appeared as a cultural commenter on VH1's series "I Love the New Millennium
I Love the New Millennium
I Love the New Millennium, the latest entry into the I Love the... series, is a nostalgia show focusing on the 2000's and premiered on VH1 Monday, June 23, 2008. Each night, from Monday to Thursday, two of the eight episodes premiered, corresponding to the years from 2000 to 2007...
." Since 2008, he has been a regular contributor on NBA TV
NBA TV
NBA TV is a television specialty channel that is dedicated to showcasing the sport of basketball in the United States. The network is financially backed by the National Basketball Association , which also uses NBA TV as a way of advertising their out of market package NBA League Pass, and partner...
.
In 2010, he was one of the co-authors of the book "FreeDarko Presents: The Undisputed Guide to Pro Basketball History."
His memoir about growing up as a fan of the Atlanta Braves and Bobby Cox, titled "In the Time of Bobby Cox: The Atlanta Braves, Their Manager, My Couch, Two Decades, and Me," was released in March, 2011, from Scribner.