Former Harlem Globetrotter Herbert ‘Flight Time’ Lang to Speak on Campus April 20

The U of A campus community and the public are invited to enjoy an evening with best-selling author, speaker, The Amazing Race competitor and former Harlem Globetrotter Herbert “Flight Time” Lang on Wednesday, April 20.

Lang will speak in person at the Graduate Education Building Auditorium, GRAD 163, at 6 p.m. Attendees may also join via Zoom. This event is free and open to the public.

Lang came from humble beginnings in Brinkley, Arkansas, and graduated from Centenary College of Louisiana in 1998. While there, he led the Trans-America Athletic Conference in scoring and won the National Association of Basketball Coaches Slam Dunk Contest.

The Globetrotters invited him to their training camp in 1999, and he spent 18 years as a player and coach with the team. He traveled to nearly 100 countries and interacted with various influential dignitaries during that time.

He also participated in numerous TV shows and contests, including three seasons of The Amazing Race and Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? He wrote about his unique journey in a recently-published memoir, Projects, Popes and Presidents.

Lang, a lifelong Razorback fan who still cheers on U of A sports teams, now lives in Sacramento, California. He speaks about concepts from his book as an on-air correspondent and inspirational speaker. He also facilitates sports clinics for young people. He’s currently working with a Hollywood production company to develop one of his many television show concepts.

The father of two said he was taught to treat people with kindness, and that principle still guides his life today. His mantra is summed up in the hashtag #kindnessisfree, which Lang often uses online and in correspondence.

“I am just a small-town Arkansas kid who has been blessed to have so many amazing life-changing opportunities,” he said. “I truly believe that it’s important to treat others even better than you expect to be treated by people. Every major accomplishment in my life has been the direct result of others speaking up for me, trusting and believing I would not fail them in doing so.”

Lang finds beauty in life’s struggles. He believes that success is not determined by how much money a person makes but by how many lives they touch along the way.

“An Evening with Herbert Lang, Former Globetrotter and Kindness Enthusiast” is co-hosted by the College of Education and Health Professions and the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences.

This story also appeared in the University of Arkansas News publication.

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