Ralph Sampson
C · WSB
Seasons 1983-84–1991-92 · 9 on record · Ht 7-4 · b. 1960
★ Hall of Fame★ Rookie of the Year4× All-StarAll-NBA
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Player info
| Nickname | Stick |
|---|---|
| Position | C |
| Number | #50 |
| Height | 7-4 |
| Weight | 228 lb |
| Born | 1960-07-07 |
| College | Virginia |
| Drafted | 1983 · Round 1, Pick 1 · Houston Rockets |
| Seasons | 1983-84–1991-92 (9) |
Career averages
15.4 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 2.3 APG · 456 games · .486 FG% · .172 3P%.
Stats by season — per game
| Season | Tm | Age | GP | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | PER | TS% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983-84 | HOU | 23 | 82 | 32.8 | .523 | .250 | .661 | 11.1 | 2.0 | 0.9 | 2.4 | 21.0 | 20.1 | .551 |
| 1984-85 | HOU | 24 | 82 | 37.6 | .502 | 0.000 | .676 | 10.4 | 2.7 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 22.1 | 17.4 | .533 |
| 1985-86 | HOU | 25 | 79 | 36.3 | .488 | .133 | .641 | 11.1 | 3.6 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 18.9 | 16.9 | .516 |
| 1986-87 | HOU | 26 | 43 | 30.8 | .489 | 0.000 | .624 | 8.7 | 2.8 | 0.9 | 1.3 | 15.6 | 15.4 | .518 |
| 1987-88 | 2TM | 27 | 48 | 34.6 | .438 | .182 | .760 | 9.6 | 2.5 | 0.9 | 1.8 | 15.6 | 13.4 | .487 |
| HOU | 27 | 19 | 37.1 | .439 | .333 | .741 | 9.1 | 1.9 | 0.9 | 1.7 | 15.9 | 12.6 | .491 | |
| GSW | 27 | 29 | 33.0 | .438 | 0.000 | .775 | 10.0 | 2.9 | 0.8 | 1.9 | 15.4 | 14.0 | .485 | |
| 1988-89 | GSW | 28 | 61 | 17.8 | .449 | .375 | .653 | 5.0 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 1.1 | 6.4 | 11.4 | .483 |
| 1989-90 | SAC | 29 | 26 | 16.0 | .372 | .250 | .522 | 3.2 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 4.2 | 5.5 | .392 |
| 1990-91 | SAC | 30 | 25 | 13.9 | .366 | .200 | .263 | 4.4 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 3.0 | 7.2 | .365 |
| 1991-92 | WSB | 31 | 10 | 10.8 | .310 | 0.000 | .667 | 3.0 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 2.2 | 5.8 | .348 |
Stats by season — totals
| Season | Tm | G | GS | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | FT | FTA | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983-84 | HOU | 82 | 82 | 2,693 | 716 | 1,369 | .523 | 1 | 4 | 287 | 434 | 913 | 163 | 70 | 197 | 294 | 1,720 |
| 1984-85 | HOU | 82 | 82 | 3,086 | 753 | 1,499 | .502 | 0 | 6 | 303 | 448 | 853 | 224 | 81 | 168 | 326 | 1,809 |
| 1985-86 | HOU | 79 | 76 | 2,864 | 624 | 1,280 | .488 | 2 | 15 | 241 | 376 | 879 | 283 | 99 | 129 | 285 | 1,491 |
| 1986-87 | HOU | 43 | 32 | 1,326 | 277 | 566 | .489 | 0 | 3 | 118 | 189 | 372 | 120 | 40 | 58 | 126 | 672 |
| 1987-88 | 2TM | 48 | 44 | 1,663 | 299 | 682 | .438 | 2 | 11 | 149 | 196 | 462 | 122 | 41 | 88 | 171 | 749 |
| HOU | 19 | 19 | 705 | 119 | 271 | .439 | 2 | 6 | 63 | 85 | 172 | 37 | 17 | 33 | 62 | 303 | |
| GSW | 29 | 25 | 958 | 180 | 411 | .438 | 0 | 5 | 86 | 111 | 290 | 85 | 24 | 55 | 109 | 446 | |
| 1988-89 | GSW | 61 | 36 | 1,086 | 164 | 365 | .449 | 3 | 8 | 62 | 95 | 307 | 77 | 31 | 65 | 90 | 393 |
| 1989-90 | SAC | 26 | 7 | 417 | 48 | 129 | .372 | 1 | 4 | 12 | 23 | 84 | 28 | 14 | 22 | 34 | 109 |
| 1990-91 | SAC | 25 | 4 | 348 | 34 | 93 | .366 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 19 | 111 | 17 | 11 | 17 | 27 | 74 |
| 1991-92 | WSB | 10 | 0 | 108 | 9 | 29 | .310 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 30 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 10 | 22 |
| Career | 456 | — | — | 2,924 | 6,012 | .486 | 10 | 58 | 1181 | 1786 | 4011 | 1038 | 390 | 752 | 1363 | 7,039 |
Per 36 minutes
| Season | Tm | G | MPG | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | FT | FTA | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983-84 | HOU | 82 | 32.8 | 9.6 | 18.3 | .523 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 3.8 | 5.8 | 12.2 | 2.2 | 0.9 | 2.6 | 3.9 | 23.0 |
| 1984-85 | HOU | 82 | 37.6 | 8.8 | 17.5 | .502 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 3.5 | 5.2 | 10.0 | 2.6 | 0.9 | 2.0 | 3.8 | 21.1 |
| 1985-86 | HOU | 79 | 36.3 | 7.8 | 16.1 | .488 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 3.0 | 4.7 | 11.0 | 3.6 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 3.6 | 18.7 |
| 1986-87 | HOU | 43 | 30.8 | 7.5 | 15.4 | .489 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 3.2 | 5.1 | 10.1 | 3.3 | 1.1 | 1.6 | 3.4 | 18.2 |
| 1987-88 | 2TM | 48 | 34.6 | 6.5 | 14.8 | .438 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 3.2 | 4.2 | 10.0 | 2.6 | 0.9 | 1.9 | 3.7 | 16.2 |
| HOU | 19 | 37.1 | 6.1 | 13.8 | .439 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 3.2 | 4.3 | 8.8 | 1.9 | 0.9 | 1.7 | 3.2 | 15.5 | |
| GSW | 29 | 33.0 | 6.8 | 15.4 | .438 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 3.2 | 4.2 | 10.9 | 3.2 | 0.9 | 2.1 | 4.1 | 16.8 | |
| 1988-89 | GSW | 61 | 17.8 | 5.4 | 12.1 | .449 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 2.1 | 3.1 | 10.2 | 2.6 | 1.0 | 2.2 | 3.0 | 13.0 |
| 1989-90 | SAC | 26 | 16.0 | 4.1 | 11.1 | .372 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 7.3 | 2.4 | 1.2 | 1.9 | 2.9 | 9.4 |
| 1990-91 | SAC | 25 | 13.9 | 3.5 | 9.6 | .366 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 2.0 | 11.5 | 1.8 | 1.1 | 1.8 | 2.8 | 7.7 |
| 1991-92 | WSB | 10 | 10.8 | 3.0 | 9.7 | .310 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 2.0 | 10.0 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 2.7 | 3.3 | 7.3 |
Counting stats scaled to a per-36-minute pace.
Advanced stats
| Season | Tm | G | MP | PER | TS% | USG% | OWS | DWS | WS | WS/48 | OBPM | DBPM | BPM | VORP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983-84 | HOU | 82 | 2,693 | 20.1 | .551 | 27.1 | 1.9 | 4.1 | 6.0 | .108 | +0.5 | +0.4 | +0.9 | +2.0 |
| 1984-85 | HOU | 82 | 3,086 | 17.4 | .533 | 25.9 | 1.4 | 4.8 | 6.2 | .096 | -0.3 | +0.7 | +0.4 | +1.8 |
| 1985-86 | HOU | 79 | 2,864 | 16.9 | .516 | 23.6 | 1.1 | 4.0 | 5.0 | .084 | -0.1 | +0.5 | +0.4 | +1.8 |
| 1986-87 | HOU | 43 | 1,326 | 15.4 | .518 | 23.9 | -0.2 | 2.4 | 2.2 | .078 | -1.6 | +1.2 | -0.4 | +0.5 |
| 1987-88 | 2TM | 48 | 1,663 | 13.4 | .487 | 22.8 | -1.3 | 1.9 | 0.6 | .018 | -2.2 | +0.1 | -2.2 | -0.1 |
| HOU | 19 | 705 | 12.6 | .491 | 21.1 | -0.3 | 1.0 | 0.7 | .048 | -2.0 | +0.2 | -1.8 | +0.0 | |
| GSW | 29 | 958 | 14.0 | .485 | 24.0 | -1.0 | 0.9 | -0.1 | -.004 | -2.4 | +0.0 | -2.4 | -0.1 | |
| 1988-89 | GSW | 61 | 1,086 | 11.4 | .483 | 17.3 | -0.3 | 1.4 | 1.1 | .048 | -3.2 | +0.6 | -2.6 | -0.2 |
| 1989-90 | SAC | 26 | 417 | 5.5 | .392 | 17.9 | -1.1 | 0.5 | -0.6 | -.068 | -7.3 | +1.6 | -5.7 | -0.4 |
| 1990-91 | SAC | 25 | 348 | 7.2 | .365 | 16.1 | -0.8 | 0.5 | -0.3 | -.038 | -6.1 | -0.4 | -6.5 | -0.4 |
| 1991-92 | WSB | 10 | 108 | 5.8 | .348 | 16.3 | -0.3 | 0.2 | -0.2 | -.069 | -7.4 | +0.6 | -6.8 | -0.1 |
| Career | 456 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 20.0 | — | — | — | — | +4.9 |
PER, True Shooting %, Usage %, Win Shares (Off/Def/Total, per 48), Box Plus/Minus (Off/Def/Total) and Value Over Replacement Player.
Playoff stats
| Season | G | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | FG% | 3P% | TS% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984-85 | 5 | 38.6 | 21.2 | 16.6 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 1.6 | .430 | 1.000 | .456 |
| 1985-86 | 20 | 37.0 | 20.0 | 10.8 | 4.0 | 1.5 | 1.8 | .518 | 1.000 | .565 |
| 1986-87 | 10 | 33.0 | 18.6 | 8.8 | 2.1 | 0.2 | 1.2 | .514 | .500 | .564 |
| 1988-89 | 3 | 14.3 | 6.7 | 4.7 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.7 | .409 | 0.000 | .421 |
| Career | 38 | 34.4 | 18.7 | 10.5 | 2.9 | 0.9 | 1.5 | .497 | .375 | .540 |
Full postseason box-score averages by season, from every playoff game played.
Career splits
| Split | G | PPG | RPG | APG | W–L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 218 | 16.3 | 9.6 | 2.5 | 140–78 |
| Away | 238 | 14.6 | 8.1 | 2.1 | 71–167 |
| In wins | 211 | 17.1 | 9.9 | 2.7 | 211–0 |
| In losses | 245 | 14.0 | 7.9 | 1.9 | 0–245 |
Regular-season career splits by venue and result.
Career stats vs each team
| Opponent | G | PPG | RPG | APG | W–L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATL Atlanta Hawks | 13 | 16.0 | 9.6 | 1.9 | 7–6 |
| BOS Boston Celtics | 13 | 14.6 | 8.9 | 2.0 | 2–11 |
| BKN Brooklyn Nets | 12 | 14.6 | 8.7 | 1.9 | 5–7 |
| CHA Charlotte Hornets | 4 | 1.8 | 2.5 | 0.8 | 3–1 |
| CHI Chicago Bulls | 14 | 15.3 | 9.6 | 2.5 | 7–7 |
| CLE Cleveland Cavaliers | 12 | 16.1 | 10.9 | 2.7 | 10–2 |
| DAL Dallas Mavericks | 31 | 16.6 | 8.6 | 2.4 | 17–14 |
| DEN Denver Nuggets | 29 | 18.0 | 10.3 | 2.4 | 13–16 |
| DET Detroit Pistons | 11 | 13.9 | 8.5 | 1.5 | 5–6 |
| GSW Golden State Warriors | 21 | 16.8 | 9.8 | 2.1 | 12–9 |
| HOU Houston Rockets | 6 | 6.5 | 6.7 | 1.2 | 0–6 |
| IND Indiana Pacers | 12 | 12.8 | 8.8 | 1.9 | 6–6 |
| LAC Los Angeles Clippers | 27 | 12.9 | 6.3 | 2.2 | 16–11 |
| LAL Los Angeles Lakers | 28 | 15.8 | 8.6 | 3.2 | 5–23 |
| MIA Miami Heat | 3 | 6.3 | 6.0 | 0.7 | 3–0 |
| MIL Milwaukee Bucks | 10 | 14.4 | 8.3 | 1.9 | 1–9 |
| MIN Minnesota Timberwolves | 2 | 3.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0–2 |
| NYK New York Knicks | 12 | 14.5 | 8.1 | 2.7 | 6–6 |
| ORL Orlando Magic | 2 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 0–2 |
| PHI Philadelphia 76ers | 9 | 19.7 | 8.7 | 2.7 | 3–6 |
| PHX Phoenix Suns | 26 | 17.5 | 8.5 | 2.3 | 13–13 |
| POR Portland Trail Blazers | 30 | 15.0 | 8.6 | 2.0 | 12–18 |
| SAC Sacramento Kings | 28 | 19.1 | 9.0 | 2.3 | 17–11 |
| SAS San Antonio Spurs | 29 | 18.7 | 9.9 | 3.2 | 19–10 |
| UTA Utah Jazz | 31 | 15.6 | 10.3 | 2.5 | 11–20 |
Regular-season career averages against each current franchise.
Contract & salary
Nominal salaries; tracked coverage is limited to seasons in the current dataset.
| Season | Salary |
|---|---|
| 1990-91 | $2,250,000 |
| 1991-92 | $2,685,000 |
| 1992-93 | $2,685,000 |
| Career earnings | $7,620,000 |
Frequently asked questions
What are Ralph Sampson's career stats?
Ralph Sampson has averaged 15.4 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 2.3 APG over 9 seasons (1983-84–1991-92).
How much does Ralph Sampson make?
Ralph Sampson's salary is $2,685,000 for the 1992-93 season, with career earnings of about $7.6M.
How tall is Ralph Sampson?
Ralph Sampson is 7-4 (228 lb).
When was Ralph Sampson drafted?
Ralph Sampson was drafted in 1983, round 1, pick 1, by the Houston Rockets.