Ralph Sampson: The BIGGEST What If in NBA History | FPP
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- čas přidán 2. 01. 2024
- One of the most popular new players in the modern NBA is Victor Wembanyama. Everyone is raving about how unique and generational he is, and while those things are true, he's not the first of his kind; as 40 years ago there was another 7'4" basketball anomaly named Ralph Sampson. Sampson could do everything a guard could do, but towered over everyone the court he was mobile and athletic, he could step out and hit the mid range shot; he was a great leaper and his length and athleticism allowed him to be a great defender and shot blocker. He was a legend at Harrisonburg high school and followed that up with an incredible 4 years at the University of Virginia, which saw him win 3 straight National Player of the Year awards. He was the consensus number 1 overall pick for three years, and when he finally entered the 1983 NBA draft; the Houston Rockets were the lucky winners that would get his services. He put together a rookie of the year season, before the Rockets drafted Hakeem Olajuwon the next year to form their "Twin Towers" duo. By their second year together, they would reach the NBA Finals, and even though Olajuwon was asserting himself as the better player of the two, it looked like they were on their way to dynasty status. But the next season, Sampson would suffer his first knee injury, and would never be the same player again, as the Rockets would soon move on from him and send him Golden State. And if he would have been healthy he would have been perfect for alongside Chris Mullin and Mitch Richmond in Don Nelson's Run N Gun offense; but he broke down quickly and didn't look like himself at all. He would bounce around a couple more teams before his career came to an end after 9 seasons. Even at his peak, he never quite met his incredible expectations; but when you think about how impressed people are by Wembanyama's size and skillset today, just imagine that 40 years ago...
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The original wemby
Say it again,I tell younger people that 👊🏽
Sampson & Kareem
U right!!! 😎
Couldn’t shoot 3s tho….
@@vatoloco6738 could. Different era tho he’d be benched
Ralph Sampson was a dominant college player figure before being drafted 1st overall by the Houston Rockets in 1983. He was the tallest player on the court with his 7 foot 4 frame at center/power forward position. He used his height to his advantage before the injuries took a toll on his body. At least, he made the Basketball Hall of Fame
He was fantastic. He hurt his back in the Lakers series and was never the same afterwards. It led to knee problems. He had to re-learn how to run. What a shame
Great player before injuries
Ralph was so good Hakeem was his Robin /role player
Not at all , neither were robin they were a duo that at that time were at the same level as far as talents , sampson was better offensively tho but Hakeem was better defensively and rebounding wise , both could do either at an elite level tho
I distinctly remember the incredible build-up and anticipation when in college he met Georgetown and Patrick Ewing
Hell yeah. I loved that. Good call.
That Sports Illustrated cover.
He was before his time
That's the thing a lot of new age guys who consider Ralph a "bust" in the NBA don't realize....in his short prime, that was only about 5 years, he was a 4X All Star and ASG MVP with a Finals appearance -in the 80's era at the height of Lakers/Celtics dominance. That was the perceived ceiling for Ralph coming into the league....he was widely thought to have the potential to be the greatest center of all time...... because if 4 AS appearances, a Finals appearance and an ASG MVP, all in 5 years, is considered a "bust?" Then his potential was ENORMOUS.
Sampson is the guy we don't want Wemby or Chet to turn into. Such a great young career from HS to the NBA finals ruined by injuries.
Everything you say I agree with . It's sad it's just that guys at that height are so prone to more injuries, it's like any answers extra above 7 ft 2 are more prone to injuries and I almost guaranteed a short career look at Yao Ming 😮💨
The way Wembenyama plays most probably he'll become like Sampson and those injuries, bc Wemby like to play point guard, forward center, if you are a center play like a center
HALL OF FAMER 💥💥💥💥💥Ralph Sampson
VA's finest!
Opposite ends of the state, but from a talent standpoint, Ralph and Allen are probably the best 1-2 combo any state has ever produced.
I would love to see a profile on the late Wayman Tisdale. RIP WT🙏
Speaking of music Rony Seikaly would also be a good one too. He had a solid if not spectacular career and has led a real interesting life after basketball as a DJ who's played clubs worldwide.
Yes he was great - shame he passed so young.
Biggest WHAT IF’s of the “golden era”
1. Len Bias (RIP)
2. Ralph Sampson (injury)
3. Reggie Lewis (RIP)
4. Penny Hardaway (injury)
5. Magic Johnson (injury/sick)
6. Larry Birds (injury)
7. Jordan to POR in 84’ draft
8. Benji Wilson (RIP)
9. Larry Johnson (injury)
10. Hank Gathers (RIP)
G. Hill (injury)
N. Galis (contract) -
Boston in late 80s with Bias and Galis + allready aquired stars - probably the greatest dinasty to never happen.
@@alexanderpopov4691 IDK how I missed Galis, YOUNG Sabonis (Jokic with shot blocking and dunking) and Petrovic but they’re honorable mentions. Would’ve changed the decade.
@@conduitofthegospeldarrellb9154
Yes, I remember Sabonis very well, he was my very favourite European player in his prime. He was also very athletic on par with NBA players of that time before the damn injury.
Danny Manning.
What if Kobe goes to Charlotte
Sampson's NBA career was basically 7 years before injuries got him and that's what I'm afraid will happen with VW. The Spurs are taking all sorts of preventative measures to keep his feet and ankles strong and flexible but when you're that tall and lanky a game like basketball is really tough on you because of all the cutting, jumping and all sorts of maneuvers you make. Bill Walton is a great example of that. 7 footers have a long history of all sorts of health issues.
History is NOT Wemby’s side. But w/ today’s sissy game who knows.
Injuries is a mother F
Ralph was Nice 💯
Kareem and Ralph Sampson would've been CRAZY...
This was my favorite one yet the best what if in NBA History I believe he stayed in College 2 years 2 long. Just think he was in the Dunk Contest in 83 moving around like a 6’6 Forward. He was definitely a power forward not a center for that era of Basketball
He’d thrive in today’s zero contact NBA. It’s that reason many believe Wembanyama will ball out. Especially as he puts on weight.
Yessir!
But this what makes me weary about Wemby, players 7’3 or taller that’s been an All-Star or ALL-NBA, they never lasted longer than 9 seasons.
Wemby is way more mobile and agile than all these guys
@@moneyman4740 Sampson had the ability to take it all 94 ft too, but keep in mind the context. Wemby grew up watching KD, that’s what he applied to his game.
And that really doesn’t matter, all the running, jumping, cutting, awkward falls can catch up to his frame
Thank you for doing a video about Ralph Sampson, he deserves it. It sucks that injuries ruined his career and deserves his props and to be talked about.
A healthy Ralph Sampson for a decade would have most likely become an NBA champion and ARGUABLY the best Center in the league, or at least in the running with Ewing, Olujuwon and Robinson.
Would be interested to see you do profile on Latrell Sprewell, Andrew Toney, Sam Jones, Jo Jo White and Gail Goodrich. Appreciate all the content thus far!
Very Interested!!! All great players!!!
❤ Ralph Sampson
Didn't know he could have went to the Lakers. Sampson, Jabbar and Magic would have been insane
17:00 I was born in Seattle in 1973, where I grew up. Sonics and Blazers fan. Japanese-American and male. From 1984-1989, I didn't pay attention to the NBA, which is fine, because it was Boston Boston Lakers Lakers EVERY year, championship hogs! I HATE the Lakers, Boston, Phoenix, and Utah. So, when I got back into the NBA in late 1989-90, I saw that Ralph Sampson played about 20 games, and barely played with Sacramento. I used to wonder, "Did Ralph have an actual major knee injury, or was it a buildup thing that got worse?" Someone told me that they were surprised that I didn't know about this injury at Boston. Now I know. Also, I am honestly amazed that he has some great dunks as a WARRIOR! I mean, he got traded from Houston, because he was already so damaged. You see a Sacramento highlight where he blocks Pat Ewing, but it's painfully clear that Sampson couldn't jump at ALL, by the time he was a King.
First 4 years 🔥 but super decline unfortunately. His college accomplishments is what got him to HOF
First 3 years, his 4th year is when the injuries started...😢
Saw the man play 7 quarters straight once.
Thank you 😊
Big Z next
Ralph's story makes me worried for Wemby, knock on wood! Great video Bro, keep up the great work!
Love your content bro. You think you could do one of Joe Johnson?
yo i know he just retired n you do older careers normally but he definitely got forgotten while he was active so i think it fits your channel concept still. i need you to do a Lou Williams video cuz Sweet Lou got as good an argument as ANYBODY for the best 6 man of all time n he mine.
he forgotten sorta but damn near legendary in philly to anyone once you remind them about em. ppl dont name him immediately but if you do first , everyone gon say how much they love dude. he was my favorite sixer in 2010 and then was why the hawks beat the sixers in 2021. mad underrated
I was very young when Sampson played but I remember people saying that he was never the same after the big fall he took against the Celtics. Sampson's wingspan must be monstrous. I wish the NBA recorded physical stats, aside from just height and weight, like it does now.
After that fight with 6'1" Jerry Sichting, I considered him kind of Cowardly. Never respected him after that shit.
Ralph Sampson was the 2nd biggest ‘what if’. Len Bias was the biggest. If those two guys would have stayed healthy (and alive) Jordan would have been an afterthought. Sampson and Hakeem had already gone to the finals with a team that needed better shooters and guard play.
Would’ve loved to see a healthy Ralph Sampson play with Run TMC . If he was healthy, that would’ve been the piece that team was missing, a big man that could score and block shots . He would’ve had freedom to play his game in Nelly’s system that he wouldn’t had anywhere else .
I grew up in Houston and I definitely remember when Ralph Sampson was drafted out of Virginia. He was a pretty good player and had potential to become a really good player but he was not even a tenth of the athlete that Hakeem Olajuwon was. I'm not trying to put him down because the two towers was a pretty amazing run for Houston but once they figured out that they had to make olajuwon the key to their team they started to take off. Ralph was like Sam Bowie and so many other tall skinny guys. He was always hurt and his career was cut short. Victor is a much better athlete and moves in a way that Ralph Sampson never moved.
As a Lakers fan…I’m glad that coin flip turn to James Worthy…he turned out to have a bigger impact than Sampson would have had
They wasnt even the same draft , they both went #1 im confused as to how they have anything to do with the other
Ralph could have declared for the 82 draft after his junior season, but decided not to. Also interesting to consider that the Lakers could have picked Dominique at #1 instead.
Nobody was hardly filming high school players in the late 70’s, back when Sampson was in HS…just that alone told you he was something special if someone went through all the trouble to film him back in the day when camera equipment was bulky…not like today when you just take out your smartphone and shoot
Lol its crazy just how many "what-if" players there are. Ralph Samson is definitely one, i forgot all about him!
Can you do sidney moncrief
Can you cover Lenny Wilkens?
Dude looks like wemby
You mean Wemby looks like him
A couple things that were missed here. John Lucas left Houston in 1986 because of drug problems. Also another big reason why the 87 Rockets struggled was once again drug issues, as Lewis Lloyd and Mitchell Wiggins were banned from the NBA
The what if of him going to the Lakers in 1982 is fascinating to me and one of the more underrated ones.
make one about Kenyon Martin
I think I think another underrated Center that doesn't get a lot of shine is Eric Dampier. Arguably one of (if not) the best prolific offensive rebounders in NBA history.
There isn’t any argument for being one of the best, let alone the best.
He is 48th all time. Not including all the power forwards on the list, the centers w more are:
Moses, Artis, Chief, Shaq, Dwight, Hakeem, Mutumbo, Issel, Drummond, Chandler, Kg, Jordan, Admiral, Kareem, Jones, Vlade, Daniels, Laimbeer, Ewing, and Polynice.
That kid on the spurs first time I saw him I thought Ralph maybe his dad until I saw his name he could be what Ralph would be into today's game but Ralph was better at the same age he played against future superstars McHale, Jordan , Perkins basically the whole NC team and other college which had 4 yr players unheard of today
But if it weren’t for him they wouldn’t have Clyde and for that championship, so thanks Ralph
Al Horton's dad Tito at 26:44
Do one on Metta World Peace aka Ron Artest
HIs biggest mistake was staying in college for so long . He outsmarted himself, he should have went into the 1981 or 82 draft . He wasted his athleticism in college 😮💨. All in all at the height of his powers he is my favorite 7 footer of all times 🏀
He came out at 22-23 he didnt know he would reach his athletic peak in college , that doesnt happen until mid to late 20’s , realistically his best athletic days should have still been ahead of him
Ralph Sampson was more herald than Wemby.
H Town Twin Tower Forever ❤ Baby
(the first Victor!) That's now in the NBA..
Not the 1st victor
@@moneyman4740 you don't think? Who would you say remind you of Victor
Sampson was a talent ...no doubt...his NBA career was cut a little short. Dude played 4 seasons in College & never completely turned it in pros...because he wasn't great.....he had 4 or 5 healthy seasons in the NBA...he wasn't awesome....very good yeah. Ralph was Ralph.
i had no idea ralph was on the 89 warriors with mitch and mullin
neutron proxy vs neutron watt would have been a better comp.
We gotta stop lying. Sampson WAS NOT 7'4". He was maybe 7'2".
Yeah and they’re also lying about Hakeem’s height cause he wasn’t 7’0” tall, he even said in interview that he was closer to 6’10”. I think he would know how tall he is and the NBA just be lying about players height, especially when they are playing with another tall player who is 7’0” or taller. They try and market it as a seven foot duo when one of them isn’t even seven foot, just almost seven feet tall.
@@Mr_Mack88i use to think Hakeem was shorter but look at him and Giannis over the summer , same height and Giannis is a legit 6’11
I loved watching the twin towers as a kid but sampson IS more like 7'1/2 and hakeem is like 6'10.
I guess Kareem's hook shot can be blocked.
I’m hoping for fat lever antonio msdyess Carlos boozer Deron Williams or Antwan Jamison next
do jeff lamp
Do Manute Bol.
Wemby yama
So does this mean next year Spurs are gonna get a top pick to pair up with Wemby and instantly become title contenders?
I don't see how he got POTY 3 times in a row, he had subpar stats to be the biggest player on the court
No shot clock yet.
Nah man, the biggest what if remains Len Bias, imho. But Sampson would have left his palm print for sure in the Bird VS Magic era, if he managed to stay healthy. Let's hope for the Spurs that Wembanyama doesn't have knees as bad... Like, the french unicorn is currently their most valuable chip to get away from the suck zone...
if i was coach woulda been like akeem gets 20 shots rest to ralf
He wasnt 7'4, he is more like 7'1
He was so fast player injuries non stop finished his career earlier he could play to end 90s houston could won more titles
If Ralph stayed healthy, Hakeem would've won more than 2 chips
This was before Giannis Antetokounmpo, Ralph Sampson the top player during that time
sam bowie lol what hasppened to that martian?
Sampson had a few good years when he got into the NBA, but he was too finesse! He was thin and didn't like contact. He was comfortable shooting mid range jumpers.Needed to lift weights but never did.
With today's modern medical surgeries & rehabilitation methods Ralph could of bounced back even better, but it just wasn't meant to be. Still an incredible player!!
Biggest what if is Len Bias.
6:37 hmmm i wonder how many bricks by non sampson players? LOL as coauch would be liek samopson takes all shots ifdouble then dunk or very short shot
He was the kevin Durant of his time , if he had gone to Lakers he would top 3 greatest of all time he could go between his legs dribbling if he played in today's game superstar he was to thin for then he would be a PF but he could run shoot and on college every year they might loose 1 to NC which would go 4 corners to shot clock but think off his cavs team in college who else went pro , he stayed 4 years , if he had went to a college with more talent say NC or team up the Patrick at G.T maybe 4 titles , but go back watch he was 7/4 Kevin Durant
There is like zero similarities between KD and Ralph other than them being 7ft'ers. KD is an outside and 3 point shooter, Ralph was not.
Knocked dat whyTe bOi
Ralph and Sam Bowie were similar. Both had great skills.
colleg coach: ok guards shoot fuck giving it ot eh 7-4 dude for 5 foor shot around basket!! lol me: guard iif u shoot u off the team lol unless layup or dunk hek get rida guards n just have all big guys n throw ball down court lol
700 sampson needed to goto hole more
he ddint get the refs helping like kareem did
Ralph Sampson was better than Wemby hands down!
No
Yes the Original Wemby better rebounder
Wemby is better at a number of other things such as defense on the perimeter and rim protection , also a better shooter and ballhandler and Wemby is a hell of a rebounder as well
Arvydas Sabonis in his prime was better and he could return from his injury
The sad news was....Sampson was drastically overated in College....i'm not hating on Ralph....i loved the ACC in College Hoops back then, but his height & athleticism & skills overshadowed his actual game. His production wasn't really ever that great.
* He never really improved much in 4 years of College....seriously....I know they gave him Player of the Year like 3 times in a row....but Ralph never improved in College. Look at his stats
When a player is OBVIOUSLY battling injuries... how is it that they get labeled as "soft" or lacking killer instinct? Is nothing more than a lazy misleading narrative.
He was never a winner like Sabonis or Walton - a what if but not THE what if
He was not 7'4"...he was 7'2". Sabonis was taller than him. And Sampson was overrated. In his best 3 seasons 1983-1985...there was no special numbers from him. Not too many rebounds not too many points. Hakeem was way better
Without Ralphs presence, Hakeem would've had to guard Kareem 1 on 1 and it would've been a continuation of the schoolings Kareem put on him to date. Because he was shorter and lacked positional defensive experience. They likely don't beat the Lakers without that switch.
When Ralph guarded Kareem it allowed Hakeem to roam, he wreaked absolute havoc on LA defensively.
If you watched him then you would have seen his skillet. They way he ran the floor and dunked nasty. And could pass. He had very high level athleticism.
@@FuShengAlexkareem by 86 was damn near washed , Hakeem woulda never had to deal with prime kareem either way
@@moneyman4740
Your recollection of Abdul-Jabbar is wanting. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ate up BOTH Sampson and Olajuwon, before the Rockets' coach lit a fire under them both by ridiculing the Twin Towers, leading to an ameliorated production by the tall talented tandem. Mr. Abdul-Jabbar was NO JOKE for a LONG TIME; the Celtics, like you, said he was done and paid for it when Abdul-Jabbar dropped 26 points and 16 rebounds on them. Ralph Sampson was A BEAST; I was there; I haven't seen anyone that tall (7' range) as versatile as the aptly surnamed SAMPSON.
Sampson was no more agile than Kareem at the same age.
PEOPLE ONLY LOVE U WHEN EVERY THING GOING WELL WHEN SOMETHING HAPPEN LIKE SAMPSON HE GOT HURT . MAN OR WOMAN WILL STAB YOU IN THE BACK !!!!!!!!!! JESUS IS THE ONLY ONE WHO WILL NEVER STAB. YOU IN THE BACK !!!!!!!!! PERIOD!!!!!🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏 JESUS🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏JESUS🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏