Romeo James Langford (born October 25, 1999) is an American professional basketball player who is currently a free agent. He played college basketball for the Indiana Hoosiers. Langford was ranked as one of the highest prospects in the college class of 2019; he finished as the 5th overall prospect in the 2018 247sports rankings. A shooting guard, he was drafted by the Celtics 14th overall in the 2019 NBA draft.
High school career
Langford attended New Albany High School. Despite substantial interest from multiple prep schools, Langford chose to spend his four high school years at New Albany. As a freshman, Langford led New Albany to a 23–3 record and the regional tournament while averaging 17.1 points and 6.0 rebounds. In his sophomore year, he averaged 30.2 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game while leading New Albany to a 27–1 record and a class 4A state championship, the school's first state title since 1973. In his junior year, he averaged 28.7 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game, leading New Albany to a 25–4 record and to the class 4A state quarterfinals. On November 21, 2017, Langford opened up his senior season with a then career high 48 points in a 110–36 victory over Charlestown. On February 1, Langford scored a new career high 63 points against Jennings County. On January 16, 2018, Langford was announced as a McDonald's All-American to participate in the 2018 game., where he competed and won the Legends and Stars Shootout competition. Langford finished his high school career fourth on the all-time Indiana state scoring list with 3,002 points. The penultimate award of his high school career, Langford was crowned Indiana Mr. Basketball of 2018 at the annual IndyStar Sports Awards ceremony. In addition, he was also named the Boys Athlete of the Year.
Recruiting
Langford was rated as a 5 star recruit by Rivals, 247Sports, Scouts, and ESPN, which have praised him for his electric scoring and playmaking abilities.
Langford was recruited in high school by numerous high-profile schools, including Indiana, Louisville, Kansas, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, North Carolina, UCLA, and Duke, and was visited by multiple coaches including John Calipari, Bill Self, Roy Williams, and Archie Miller. On November 11, 2017, Langford announced via Twitter that he had narrowed his choices down to Indiana, Kansas, and Vanderbilt. When asked about a timeline for his decision, Langford emphasized that he didn't want to rush the decision, and that he would "probably be making [his] decision after the season." He announced on April 11, 2018, that he would declare his college choice on April 30 at New Albany High School. On April 30, 2018, he announced his intention to play for his home state Indiana University. He is the 27th former Indiana Mr. Basketball and 21st former McDonald's All-American to play basketball at Indiana.
College career
Langford, who was ESPN’s No. 1 shooting guard in the Class of 2018 and Indiana's Gatorade Player of the Year, played one college season in his home state at Indiana University where he is known as one of the best freshman in the schools history before declaring for the NBA draft. Langford tore a ligament in his thumb in late November at IU, but he played through the pain and didn't miss a game all year. Langford was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week four times. He averaged 16.5 points per game, the highest among the Big Ten freshmen and the third highest all-time among Indiana University freshmen, behind Eric Gordon and Mike Woodson.
After the season, Langford declared for the 2019 NBA draft.
Professional career
Boston Celtics (2019–2022) Langford was selected with the 14th overall draft pick by the Boston Celtics in the 2019 NBA draft. On July 11, 2019, Langford signed his rookie scale contract with the Celtics. Langford was assigned to the Maine Red Claws for the start of the NBA G League season. He rolled his ankle in a game against Fort Wayne Mad Ants on November 15. On September 22, 2020, the Celtics announced that Langford had undergone surgery to repair the scapholunate ligament of his right wrist and would miss the remainder of the 2019–20 NBA season.