TTM Stats
- Sent: 12/24/2020 | Received: 1/9/2021 | 15 Days
- ’90 Skybox, ’92 Upper Deck
- Address: Home (address from Sports Card Forum)
The Story of the Autograph
Ralph Sampson is a former center in the National Basketball Association. He played from 1983 to 1992 in the NBA with the Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings, and Washington Bullets. After his time in the NBA he played in Spain and then with a team from the CBA.
Sampson was born and raised in Harrisonburg, Virginia. As you might expect for a future seven-footer, he grew quickly and was 6 ft. 7 in. by ninth grade. Of course that helped him become a start on the court, leading his high school team to state championships in 1978 and 1979. He was one of the most heavily recruited players and went on to attend the University of Virginia. He helped them to an NIT title in 1980, an NCAA Final Four in 1981, and the NCAA Elite Eight in 1983. All that while earning three Naismith Awards and two Wooden Awards.
In 1983 he was drafted by the Houston Rockets with the first overall pick of the NBA Draft. There were a lot of expectations on him initially and he played really well earning an All-Star Game nod and winning the NBA Rookie of the Year. The Rockets again got the first pick the next year and brought in Hakeem Olajuwon to create the “Twin Towers” front line. They would eventually help the Rockets to the NBA Finals against the Celtics in 1986 but lost.
Sampson was injured in the 1987-88 season and would fall out of favor with the staff. He was traded to the Warriors but continued to have knee and back problems. He was then traded to the Sacramento Kings and continued to have injury issues that limited his playing time. He would eventually be released by the Kings and pick up with the Bullets who would also release him.
Overall Sampson was a four-time NBA All-Star (all in his early years with the Rockets), the All-Star Game MVP in 1985, All-NBA Second-Team in 1985, and the NBA Rookie of the Year and on the All-Rookie Team in 1984. He was inducted in the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011 and in 2012 the Basketball Hall of Fame.
The Score on Ralph Sampson – 4.5
Ralph is one of those folks that just gives you a little scribble. It’s one of those that you have to actually wonder whether or not you should considerate an autograph even. I mean, is this just basically like an “S”? I don’t know if I would send to Ralph again. I probably would if I happened to find a card of him as a Rocket. The score is a bit low on these for a lot of reasons. The ink kind of bubbled a little, there’s a little smear, it’s hard to see, and there’s not much to it.
Thanks Mr. Sampson! I’m giving this return a 4.5.
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Information gathered using Wikipedia and Baseball Reference.