Midway through the 2014-15 season, Langston Galloway signed a 10-day contract with the Knicks. For a mid-major college player who went undrafted, the contract was proof that he fulfilled a life-long goal.
“I’ve arrived at my dream,” Galloway said, reflecting on that day.
On Tuesday night, Galloway will fulfill another life-long goal for most players: suiting up in an NBA Finals.
Galloway is a reserve guard for the Suns, who face the Bucks in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Tuesday night.
Last week, Galloway took some time to speak to SNY about his days as a Knick, his role with the Suns and Chris Paul’s impact on the club:
SNY: Tom Thibodeau won Coach of the Year for his strong season in New York. But Monty Williams, your coach, also got strong consideration for the award. What role has Monty played in the team’s success?
GALLOWAY: “He’s truly been amazing for us. He’s been able to not just keep us together, but he’s been able to get a mentality behind us where it’s a everyday success. Not looking too far in advance, not getting happy on the farm, but just like every single day we’ve got to keep chipping away, getting better, knowing that at the end of the day, that can make us great.
“That was the mentality he enlightened us with at the beginning of the season. Throughout the season, where we had games where we won, games where we lost and we shouldn’t have lost, that’s just the way it was…. He’s been great for us from that perspective. But then also when it’s come to play on the court, he really listens to the players. He wants to get that dynamic of like a back and forth between players. And he really goes with it. He’s a player’s coach. And it’s just truly been working for us.”
SNY: You’re in the NBA Finals in your seventh season. You were undrafted and played four years at a mid-major school. So you have certainly beaten the odds to get to this point. Do you ever reflect on your journey to get here?
GALLOWAY: “I never really get a chance to reflect on it. How I look at it from a day-to-day basis is: I look around the locker room and there might be one guy or here might be no guys that have went undrafted. So that’s where I’ll look at it. From a standpoint of I’m in uncharted territory where I have to work my butt off every single day, knowing that, ‘Hey, look, somebody is out here trying to get my job’ or there are guys behind me coming up, younger, they say they’re hungrier, all the clichés. That’s how I look at it every single step of the way. Even though it’s uncharted territory, I gotta work my butt off every day, knowing that they’re watching me.”
SNY: Everyone says Chris Paul is a tremendous leader. How has he led this Suns team?
GALLOWAY: “He definitely does a lot of stuff off the court that brings us together, camaraderie and stuff like that. But his biggest factor (in leadership) in my opinion is he’s a confidence builder. He builds confidence in everybody and that’s what helps other guys be successful on the court. He really exudes that. He wants to be better than what you are. On the bench, he might pull you aside and say, Hey look at (details of specific on-court scenarios). Off the court, he might talk to you and (point out different details in matchups against teams). He does that a lot in practice. But also we’ll get together as a team, grab food together. We’ll have situations on the road where we’re relaxing in the hotel, small-talk on the plane. It’s just always something that sticks out. He just pinpoints something and goes with it and knows how to give the locker room confidence.”
SNY: You broke into the NBA with the Knicks seven years ago. What are some of your favorite memories from your time with the club?
GALLOWAY: “Getting called up. Knowing that I’ve arrived at my dream and I made it this far. And getting an opportunity to play alongside Melo (Carmelo Anthony). That was another crazy moment for me because that was one of the players I looked up to when I was a kid. I’d always play with him in the video games (NBA2K) and all that. So that was pretty call. And there was a lot of moments where I hit a lot of big shots in my career with the Knicks. And the fans were amazing in New York. I truly loved my time in New York. I always tell people that was the top of my career because of the fans. The fans really made that stop an amazing journey and amazing ride for me.”
SNY: Do you have any special sneaker plans for The Finals?
GALLOWAY: “I got something special planned. Something real special. Be on the lookout.”
(Galloway sometimes asks fans on social media what he should wear on game days. Keep an eye on his Instagram page for updates during The Finals.)
SNY: You are in the Finals. The Knicks haven’t been there since 1999 and haven’t won a title since 1973. Do you think this year gave the fans hope that they can get to where you are?
GALLOWAY: “It’s coming. They continue to build the right pieces around the right guys. It’s coming. You never know; maybe you might see me back in a New York Knicks jersey one day and we’ll be going to The Finals. You never know.”