Ralph Sampson

Ralph Lee Sampson, Jr. (born July 7, 1960 in Harrisonburg, Virginia) is a retired American college and professional basketball player. A 7-foot-4 phenom, three-time College Player of the Year, and No. 1 pick in the 1983 NBA Draft, Sampson brought heavy expectations with him to the 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... more

Ralph Lee Sampson, Jr. (born July 7, 1960 in Harrisonburg, Virginia) is a retired American college and professional basketball player. A 7-foot-4 phenom, three-time College Player of the Year, and No. 1 pick in the 1983 NBA Draft, Sampson brought heavy expectations with him to the 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 he retired a four-time All-Star whose career highlight ended up being a buzzer-beating shot to dethrone the Los Angeles Lakers as Western Conference champions, derailing their hopes for coveted back-to-back NBA titles. Sampson was already 6-foot-7 by the ninth grade, reaching 7-foot-3 in high school in Harrisonburg, Virginia. He averaged nearly 30 points, 19 rebounds, and 7 blocked shots as a senior(after averaging 14 points and 11 rebounds as a sophomore, and 19 points and 17 rebounds as a junior), at... less