Ralph Sampson: College and NBA Highlights
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 ก.ย. 2024
- I wanted to create a video showing Ralph Sampson's skills, one of the biggest "what ifs" in the history of basketball. At 7'4 and with that mobility he was a monster on both sides of the court. He constantly clashed with Bill Fitch (his coach at the Houston Rockets) because deep in his heart Sampson wanted to play like a guard, but that was impossible. Anyway, he actually played a forward role next to Hakeem Olajuwon, forming the famous "twin towers" that reached the 1986 NBA Finals, defeating the defending champs LA Lakers in five games. The sky was the limit for this team, but they collapsed few months later with drug suspensions for several players and Sampson's career-ending injuries. I hope you enjoy this.
Credits to the following uploaders for the game footage:
- sportsarcheology
- Stephen Barnett
- Larry Legend
- ChampionMedia
- Elio Purin
- NBA old stars
- Al Groz
- S9rgioteca
- Yiorgios Spanias
- Marcelo (allsports-tv)
And also special thanks to the allsports-tv community for sharing their game footage.
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Ralph Sampson was the TRUTH prior to injury getting the better of him. This guy was so ahead of his time. I swear...
He was better than Olajuwon. People tend to forget that.
@@RavishingBeyond Ralph Sampson was better than Hakeem Olajuwon and Patrick Ewing at that point in their careers.
There are some players who were TOO ahead of their time. In my opinion, Ralph Sampson was born about 35 years too early. Even though the 1980s NBA was a fastbreak-based game, the center play still started in the post. Sampson was more of an open-floor center with his ball-handling and shooting skills. Sampson in today's NBA could have been Giannis with better shooting and low-post skills.
He is the perfect center for today's NBA. Can shoot, run the floor score inside and great rim protector. He had great handles too for a guy 7-4
Totally agree MJ7945
Crazy to have a 7'4 power forward and a 6'11 center, and both quick enough to defend the smalls.
Yeah Raplh is the most athletic 7’3+ guy I’ve ever seen, most of those guys are slow footed dont jump very high because of the weight on their landing. But man does Sampson jump those are ferocious dunks he’s not slow and has a nice middy.
@@cloudmoore2834 Still feel the same after seeing wemby? But yeah.. i'm here cuz someone referenced him. Never saw him play, but definitely would've been true until very recently I think.
@@auzrealmwid wemby isn’t as quick or as strong or as vertical of a threat I think as Ralph. So athletically I stand by what I said but skill wise I’ve never seen a 7 footer as skilled as Wemby let alone 7’5. Wemby as better flexibility and balance than Ralph which I consider athleticism and he accelerates and decelerates better than Ralph.
@@cloudmoore2834your trippin Wemby is better than Ralph at everything
@@Yungteasipppppain the weakest team of today, most likely retiring even younger than sampson.. sad thing tho
This view count is very disappointing, such a great player pre-injury. Dominated Kareem.
Well, you could always help with that sharing this video, :D. Jokes aside, yeah, he was a pretty special player. Hakeem and him completely dominated the Lakers frontcourt in 1986. Thanks for the comment.
An old Kareem. Kareem in his prime was the superior player
Javier BF Kareem had games of 46 pts. and 43 pts.against Hakeem and Sampson in 1986 and averaged 27 pts. against them in the playoffs at age 38. “Dominated the Lakers frontcourt.” LMAO
@@aobane841 in the playoffs it was a different story
Kareem on Kareem! Nobody ever shot the skyhook over Kareem. That’s like Starks going baseline on Jordan. It just doesn’t happen.
All the people who think Wemby is 1 of 1 never saw Ralph
Yup, they are both 7'4", yet seeing Victor's debut game, I can't help notice how Victor is nowhere near Ralph's league. Look at how nimble, agile, and coordinated Ralph is. Victor by comparison looks so uncoordinated and fragile, he can't even seem to start dribbling without tripping and falling over. NBA teams are going to be throwing solid bodies at Victor every game, even with more size and strength, no way do I see him living up to the hype of the first pick and the next coming of a Dirk type player.
Lol
@@teesmith501has your opinion changed on Victor
Anybody that says they never seen a Big man at 7"4 play like the 18 yr old from France Gyma. They never seen Ralph Sampson in his prime.
was there for 2nd game, Oct 6th; Wyenamba appears more fluid and athletic, and definitely a better outside shooter and better ball handler. Some of his defensive plays though reminded me of Sampson.
Ralph did not shoot 3s unlike Victor who casually drop 7 3s a game.
after seeing Victor Wenbanyama....the same height 7'4, fluidity and striking facial resemblance, Ralph has some explaining to do, what he did in France 18 yr ago...
7-4 shooting like that? He had the turnaround and the skyhook down to a science!
exactly AND with FLUID handles in a full court setting at 7"4. INSANITY. I watched him in his college and pro days as it happened, his skill level was ridiculous
Ralph was my hero as I played basketball growing up in a small town. I remember watching an interview he did one time saying that he used to love to play Space Invaders! I thought that was the coolest thing ever! I used to cut out newspaper articles and any story I could find while he played for Virginia. My parents used to watch me play YMCA ball as a kid and they used to yell out "GO RALPH" which made me super happy! Of course I always had to be #50 and had my big wristbands on each arm. My dream is to be able to meet him someday and to thank him for being my hero and all that he has done for the game of basketball and my life as a young boy watching from afar! GO RALPH!!!!
Virginia was 112-23 during Sampson’s four years there, for an 83% winning percentage, nothing like the 96% claimed in the video.
I think the uploader didn't include Sampson's freshman year at UVA.
The best year that they had under Sampson was 30-4 which would be 88%.
@AntiMTVMovement They were N.I.T. champions that year.
He was a supreme talent with freakish size. He had problems with consistency early in his career, and during the time he could have been finding that to take the next step, he’s knees gave out on him. After he had knee surgery, he ran up and down the court like an old man, and never got to become the superstar he likely would have been
If Sampson had today's nutrition, training, shoes and medical advances, he probably would have stayed healthy and totally changed the landscape of the NBA
He had horrible back issues, also. Hated watching these ailments ruin his career.
I absolutely loved watching Ralph play here in Houston.....if he had not gotten hurt......
Unstoppable if he never got injured and about 30 pounds heavier
That's really good video. Thanks a lot!
I have a question. Where did you find Rockets vs Spurs game? I'd love to see Gilmore vs Sampson matchup. Youth and athleticism against strength and productivity.
Really enjoyed the video. Sampson has always been an interesting player for me. He was a terrific athlete with amazing coordination for his height and a graceful, fluid player. He's one of the great "what if" stories in basketball history.
That being said, Sampson's best seasons really were his college years, despite the lack of post-season success in the NCAA. He never seemed to quite figure out how to play in the NBA despite his obvious talent. I'm not sure he'd be much better today, to be honest. Although he could probably function as a stretch five, he really was at his most effective near the basket. Ralph could hit pretty consistently from 15-20 feet out if you left him open, but down low he was damn near unstoppable with his height, touch, and leaping ability. That's why he and Bill Fitch argued all the time. Fitch wanted him on the block where he was most effective, while Ralph seemed to want to play in the backcourt, despite the fact that he wasn't good at taking care of the ball. He led the entire league in turnovers in 84-85 and was in the top five two other times. Ralph really didn't have three point range so it's hard to see him as a stretch four although maybe he could have developed it if he tried.
His best NBA season was his first. After Hakeem Olajuwon arrived the next year, he seemed to regress, even before the injuries started. You never knew which Sampson would show up, especially in the playoffs. By example, during the 86 finals against Boston, he had games of 24 and 25 points, but also 8 and even 2 (yes, two points in 27 minutes in game one). He had 22 rebounds in game 3, but less than ten in four of the other five games.
So Ralph is one of the great enigmas in the history of the game. His amazing combination of height, grace, leaping ability, and all around skill is obvious from the highlights, but there's always a "yeah, but" with him, even before he got hurt. His skill set was so unique he just couldn't find a way to fit and then the legs went and he was done. And that's too bad.
pebutts I think u being a little hard on Ralph when it comes to the championship game against Boston. U do realize he was going against the chief n Kevin McHale. Both who were more experienced then Ralph. That was what his second year in the League. Ralph did great for his time before the injuries.
Ralph should have been a 55% fg shooter, but somehow shot well below 50%. The guy was a huge enigma
@@ckobo84 That was a big part of the reason Fitch was so frustrated with him. Sampson shot 52% his rookie year. When Hakeem arrived, Ralph became more of a perimeter player, what would now be termed a stretch four, but without the stretch.
He just didn't have three point accuracy on his shot and was merely ok from mid range. Despite the fact that when he decided to post up nobody could guard him, Sampson just seemed uncomfortable playing down low and with Hakeem in the mix he stayed away from the low block.
I think he would have been much better if Olajuwon had never come to Houston, to be honest, or if Houston had traded him once they decided to pick Hakeem rather than going with the ill fated twin towers experiment.
In fact, apparently Portland offered Clyde Drexler and the number two pick in the draft for Sampson but the Rockets, for reasons that still make no sense, turned them down. Houston could have had Olajuwon in the post and what probably would have been the best backcourt of all time in Clyde and Jordan. No, Ralph probably never would have sniffed the finals, but he would have probably been a better player than he turned out to be, at least until he got hurt again.
@@tito9560 Sorry I didn't see this when you posted it. I'm not being that hard on him. Sure, he was a young player, but if you can put up a 22 rebound game against the Chief and McHale, you should have been able to get more than a handful of rebounds the rest of the games. Same thing with the scoring. Go back and watch those games. He was just passive.
It wasn't just against the Celtics either. Ralph alternated between looking awesome and awful the entire season. It happened in college too. He just had a lot of games where he just disappeared. If it wasn't such a pattern I'd chalk it up to bad luck, but it was over and over with him.
That's the theme of Sampson's career, even before the injuries. There's always a "yeah, but" to his greatness.
Amazing player who came in to the NBA in the middle of the Laker-Celtics dynasties. Let that punk Sichting bait him into a fight in Game 5 of the Finals in '86. If not for that and the injuries, he could have won some titles with Hakeem.
I agree he did play like a Guard/Foward & It worked for Him & He just never wanted to be Held to One Position in Which his game Versatility gave Akeem more Room & Freedom..No problem Xavier & Thanks for the Upload*
I’m still searching for this one monster dunk he had against golden state in 1987. He backed his way into the paint, faked left then turned and slammed the ball using his right hand while palming the ball as if he was waving hello to the crowd as he dunked. I would love to see that play again on TH-cam but still haven’t found.
At 7'4!!!
If not for injuries, Sampson could've been the greatest player ever. I've seen him catch alley oop passes, while at Virginia, from over top of the backboard and slam it on the way down. No one else has ever did that. No one.
yip i came here after watching wemby highlights. i'm not convinced yet on wemby and watching this two things come to mind in the negative column. he's not skilled enough to play forward, and he will get muscled at center. on the positive side he wouldwork in select twin towers scenarios ala sampson/olajuwon or duncan/robinson.
Without injury wemby could become what Sampson was supposed to be
Both 7'4, can shoot and handle the ball +wemby is lucky to play in an era where you don't post up that much
Wemby could be the next coming of Ralph Sampson, 35 years later. I just hope his career last longer than Sampson. He was an incredible talent that never panned out because of injuries. When he was healthy, he was something else.
He is .... first time I heard about or seen wemby play first thing came to mind Ralph Sampson is back and fully updated 🤔 he's gonna be a problem come 2023 nba season
They ask were there ever was a 7 foot 4 wemby back in the day the answer is yes ... Ralph Sampson....
My all-time starting five for college at C would be either Sampson or Kareem.
Most agile guy over 7 foot ever
Until Victor came along
1:58 the guy says "LeBron James." How did he know? 😅😃
Bahahaha
Wow. The Original Cheat Code. Very underrated player - by me, so i did my homework. He had quite a repertoire, exceptionally for a 7 feet 4 inch giant. Turnaround, fade away, sky hook you name it. It seems like he is so tall he actually shoots and dunks down the basket.
Does he remind you of webamyama
Wenbanyama of 80's
Dammit, I'm still pissed about Sampson's last second shot against the Lakers in 86!
Sampson, when Hakeem was in the game was not center, but power forward and dominated.
Wembenyama gonna be the 2.0 version
Magic Johnson stays at Michigan State as a junior, Ralph Sampson is a Spartan. And they don't lose a game in college.
No way Ralph is going to Michigan State.
It doesn't matter because Magic was never going to stay at MSU. He had nothing more to prove.
Sorry, no. He was going to UVA regardless. Ask me how I know.
he was almost a laker too
@@pretorious700He almost went to North Carolina. It was up in the air until signing day.
Look at how he moves he is so quick for his height and is able to shoot from the mid range and play with physicality
I saw Ralph yesterday! Great dude
Sampson was my Guy,back when I was In HS,I even had the Pumas like him:) 1986 Some very Good Times!
Extraordinario jugador, muy rápido y coordinado para su estatura, muy técnico gran saltabilidad, tenía un juego espectacular, gracias por el vídeo
Si fué extraordinario incredible...con su altura...
Ralph was just too much of a Complete Player, He could Shoot from anywhere & He could Jump out the Gym, Sampson was No Hype, But Was the Real Deal in almost every Area & Spectrum of the Game, I Honestly saw No One Contain Him Ever, Just as Hakeem was Unstoppable, So Ralph Sampson was Spectacular just as Michael Jordan & Hakeem were, He is just Bar None in the Top 3 Greatest Players of All Time Period*
The Original TWIN TOWERS was also the Original able to guard 5 positions, was also the Original do it all Big men ---pass, defend and even bring the ball like a Point center it's like having Jokic and Wembanyama on the same team the 86 ROCKETS ,what could have been if not for injuries. 2 on 2, I would take a healthy Olajuwon and Sampson over Jordan and Pippen.
Original thin do it all 7'4", nice to see wembanyama pick up the torch. Different game and twist to the wrist but identical stats, where they score and when
Underrated talent!!!
He was out of this world!!!
Waouw!!!
7'5!!!!
He was 7'4".
Sometimes I think Sampson watched too much video of Wally Walker. He even had a similar shooting style. He should have been playing around the basket on offense, not jacking up 3-pointers!
Ralph rarely ever shot a 3 pointer...a career percentage of 0.1 three pointers attempted per game.
When they say today's players are more skilled its laughable
I watch these types of videos all the time. Why is the first im seeing this? Great video sir. Thank you so much for making it. I barely remember that shot against the Lakers but I remember it. I thought I knew was much about the NBA from the mid 80s on but Im here to admit I was wrong. Your video showed me what ive bee missing. These Sampson highlights are unreal. If someone was to say to me that he was ever better than Hakeem id have laughed until now. In the process of reading up to learn more about him. Thanks again. Im now subscribed so I look forward to the rest of your stuff.
What an amazing player
this is the most freakish highlight package i have ever seen god damn
sadly..injury.,,but hall of fame
If Sampson have developed the sky hook he would be unstoppable
I just saw him sky hook on Jabbar. What are you seeing?
I have to say in which is Long Overdue that Ralph Sampson is for Sure the Most Athletic Center with Incredible Agility more than any Basketball Player College or Pro Ever, Centers with This Height did not do the things that Ralph Did, Only Akeem can be compared to Ralph's Domination no matter the Rank or Stage, Ralph is in the Top Three Centers in my Opinion with Akeem, Wilt, & Ralph, You have not been forgotten my Brother, God Bless*
Top-3 all time might be a little far fetched, but yeah, he could have been historically good if not for the injuries. One of his main problems, sometimes, is that he wanted to play too much like a guard instead of going a little more inside (this drove Bill Fitch crazy). But anyway, that versatility was a great complement to a low post force like Olajuwon. Thanks for the comment.
Wilt ND bill Russell are more athletic than hakeem and Sampson
Shaq is right up there with them, although Sampson could have been the best before his injuries.
Victor wembanyama before Victor wembanyama
He would've killed it in today's NBA. He was great in the 80's too, until his knee injuries, but the modern finesse game with stretch-5's is pretty perfect for him.
The Victor Wembanyama prototype.
Is this stickman basketball?
Lol se quedan parados y encestan
Did he Score 35 points for game right? J
(Kareem)
More like 7’1” at best
The pre-Wembanyama.
Great player and totally ahead of his time. Unfortunately, his career was derailed by injuries. To those commenting on it: Ralph was a better college player than Hakeem, but Hakeem was better as a pro (including Ralph's four all star seasons).
And also Javier you say he could have been Historically Good but He was Historically good because he made the Hall of Fame so I don't understand you saying that or that the Level of Rank I gave Him is too Far Fetched, So since you unloaded this Great NBA Player & You see & Hear almost Every Professional Commutator from High School, College & the Pros give him the High Praise that He deserves then what can you Question in Any Area or Category Pertaining to Ralph Sampson's Obvious Superb play & Domination? And yes we all are Entitled to our Own Opinion True, But for Any true Basketball I.Q. there is no Question from what has been Televised about Ralph Sampson what He did Against whom He did It, So I hear you Javier*
He was special.
But I don't believe it too far fetched to Rank him Top Three because You tell Me who Contained Him or could contain Him even Now in Today's Game, I don't see Who that would Be*
Victor
Ralph Sampson had quick feet and great Hops and touch. Could run like a deer. Look how the game has changed. Used to pack the paint, get a three point play the hard way. I miss the days of Akeem, Patrick, Bowie, and Big Ralph.
He was an OG unicorn. Watch this if you can: th-cam.com/video/oxRUPDjKlU4/w-d-xo.html
Dude, you are DEFINITELY old school. You spelled
Akeem without the "H' he added later. 👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾
peccato per l'infortunio, avrebbe spaccato il campionato, per quei tempi era un fuoriserie assoluto. Meritava una carriera più brillante.
Appreciate the video from an old school Houston Rocket fan
Did not dominate Kareem but he did have good seasons..better than shaq
Nice video. I like Sampson. Got to meet him when he played for Sacramento .
don't forget he also was 1 of the 9 players in the 1st NBA Dunk Contest
The OG Wemby😊
It’s always that guy who just wants as way ahead of his time and gets injured. Put Grant Hill and Penny in there too
Did anthony davis copy his anthony davisnplaying style?
maybe the twin tower situation hurt ralph. i think he'd be better if he could focus as a pure center albeit a versatile mobile one.
MAN, how many points did he hang on the Celtics in that game???
Steve Harvey show brought me here..🔥
Damn; in college, Sampson was posterizing *the best teams of that era.*
He reminds me of kg for some reason. Both are athletic big man who are versatile. They also both love to shoot jumper from the post.
zenmar : Yes, and KG is underrated. Ralph was 7-4 doing this stuff!
Injuries my guy
Ralph was a tremendous talent, but I would've have loved to see him match up against Sam Bowie at the colliegate level. He wouldn't have his way with him like he did at the prep level.
dotato tra l'altro di mani educatissime. un talento assoluto.
Man if Ralph had went to the Lakers done deal;
Sampson never recovered from.the 86 finals
He blew out his knee in 87.
You really should include some of his defensive play.
Minute 09:30.
Kevin Garnett career mirrored Ralph Sampson. Tall lanky,can post you up.Can shoot the mid range shot and was a good shot blocker.
I agree. Unfortunately Ralph just didn't have that certain killer instinct. Wasn't a "fierce" competitor.
On the flipside, KG was intense, fierce, a killer. I so wish Ralph could have lived up to his potential. But as Bum Phillips said, "Potential means you ain't done it yet."
KD
Ralph was ahead of his time. Had he's played today he would have served in the same capacity as a Dirk Nowitski. He could have played the 3 which was his true position.
no, ralph was a center, just a versatile one...
Correction....The Rockets did NOT win the finals. They lost to the Celtics.
Nobody said they did. Maybe I mispelled it in the description because english is not my first language, but I stated that they defeated the Lakers in five games to reach the Finals.
It's reasonable to argue that in his prime Ralph Sampson was the greatest basketball player ever.
Agree 100%Ralph Sampson in his prime(he never reached it because of injuries)was on his own level of video game.He toyed with hall of fame basketball players
The CRAZY thing about Big Ralph... when he and Olajuwon were on the floor together, he mostly played the Power Forward position.
Porzingis
Magic Johnson stays at Michigan State as a junior, Ralph Sampson is a Spartan. And they don't lose a game in college.
similar size to KAJ, and far more talented, although not as durable or consistent. 90% of success is showing up.
marv albert bit some woman 25 time sn attacked her and shurged off all legal problems LOL wonder why he was let go?
I wish ralf had gotten MOre shots damn celtics shoulda grabbed him
038 where foul?
125 woo weee