For other people named Ralph Sampson, see Ralph Sampson (disambiguation).
Ralph Sampson
Sampson in 2010
Personal information
Born
(1960-07-07) July 7, 1960 (age 63) Harrisonburg, Virginia, U.S.
Listed height
7 ft 4 in (2.24 m)
Listed weight
228 lb (103 kg)
Career information
High school
Harrisonburg (Harrisonburg, Virginia)
College
Virginia (1979–1983)
NBA draft
1983: 1st round, 1st overall pick
Selected by the Houston Rockets
Playing career
1983–1995
Position
Center / power forward
Number
50
Career history
As player:
1983–1987
Houston Rockets
1987–1989
Golden State Warriors
1989–1991
Sacramento Kings
1991–1992
Washington Bullets
1992
Unicaja Ronda
1994–1995
Rockford Lightning
As coach:
1992–1993
James Madison (assistant)
1999–2000
Richmond Rhythm
2012–2013
Phoenix Suns (assistant)
Career highlights and awards
4× NBA All-Star (1984–1987)
NBA All-Star Game MVP (1985)
All-NBA Second Team (1985)
NBA Rookie of the Year (1984)
NBA All-Rookie Team (1984)
3× National college player of the year (1981–1983)
3× Consensus first-team All-American (1981–1983)
3× ACC Player of the Year (1981–1983)
3× First-team All-ACC (1981–1983)
ACC Rookie of the Year (1980)
No. 50 retired by Virginia Cavaliers
First-team Parade All-American (1979)
Career NBA statistics
Points
7,039 (15.4 ppg)
Rebounds
4,011 (8.8 rpg)
Blocks
752 (1.6 bpg)
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Basketball Hall of Fame as player
College Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2011
Medals
Representing United States
Men's basketball
Pan American Games
1979 San Juan
Team competition
Ralph Lee Sampson Jr. (born July 7, 1960) is an American former professional basketball player. He is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. A 7-foot-4-inch (2.24 m) phenom, three-time college national player of the year, and first overall selection in the 1983 NBA draft, Sampson brought heavy expectations with him to the National Basketball Association (NBA).
The NBA Rookie of the Year, Sampson averaged 20.7 points and 10.9 rebounds for his first three seasons with the Houston Rockets before injuries began to take their toll. Three knee surgeries later, after 12 seasons in professional basketball, he retired in 1995 as a four-time NBA All-Star and the NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the 1985 NBA All-Star Game.
Ralph Lee Sampson Jr. (born July 7, 1960) is an American former professional basketball player. He is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall...
Ralph Lee Sampson III (born January 5, 1990) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Minnesota Golden...
of the series, when 7'4" RalphSampson ignited a brawl with Jerry Sichting, a player 15 inches (380 mm) shorter than Sampson, leading to his[clarification...
successful period in franchise history. Paired with 7-foot-4-inch (2.24 m) RalphSampson, they formed one of the tallest front courts in the NBA. Nicknamed the...
Hall of Fame is 7-foot-6-inch (2.29 m) Yao Ming. In addition to Yao, RalphSampson and Arvydas Sabonis were the only other players 7 feet 3 inches or taller...
unanimously (by capturing all of the first-place votes)—Lew Alcindor, RalphSampson, David Robinson, Blake Griffin, Damian Lillard, Karl-Anthony Towns,...
league's 23 teams. The first overall pick of this draft was 7’4” center RalphSampson, predicted as an NBA superstar since high school. The three-time College...
Barkley, and John Stockton. He combined with the 7-foot-4-inch (224 cm) RalphSampson to form a duo dubbed the "Twin Towers". The two led the Rockets to the...
fellow Hall of Famers including Isiah Thomas, Dominique Wilkins, and RalphSampson. After graduating from high school, Worthy attended the University of...
Sampson is the cousin of the 1983 NBA draft's number one overall pick RalphSampson. He attended the University of California, Berkeley where he played...
"James Worthy Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved June 20, 2008. "RalphSampson Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved June 20, 2008. "Hakeem Olajuwon...
University were the first winners, respectively. Bill Walton of UCLA, RalphSampson of the University of Virginia, and Zach Edey of Purdue have been the...
two teams, with the Celtics winning two of the first three meetings. RalphSampson hits the famous off-balanced series winner at the buzzer; Hakeem Olajuwon...
Cleveland), with the Lakers then planning to select both RalphSampson and James Worthy. When Sampson decided to forgo entering the draft and to return for...
Crimson Tide and the Virginia Cavaliers. Key is the nephew of NBA player RalphSampson, who starred at the University of Virginia. Key's father Eric Key played...
Ralph Allan (or Allen) Sampson FRS FRSE LLD (25 June 1866 – 7 November 1939) was a British astronomer. Sampson was born in Schull, County Cork in Ireland...
received the honor over Harrisonburg, Virginia's RalphSampson, another highly recruited center. Sampson and Bowie played in the annual Capital Classic...
seasons, he played with the Texas club, backing up both Olajuwon and RalphSampson, who were known as the Twin Towers[broken anchor]. Petersen played in...
John Hollinger of The Athletic described his game as a combination of RalphSampson, Porziņģis and Dirk Nowitzki. Wembanyama models parts of his game after...
voted upon by the Associated Press (AP). The only three-time winner is RalphSampson of the Virginia Cavaliers program. Lew Alcindor, Zach Edey, Jerry Lucas...
Clippers finishing in last place in order to draft an impact player like RalphSampson. In June 1982, Sterling attempted to move the team to Los Angeles. This...
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