Duke Basketball Report · Apr 12, 2022
YouTube Gold: A Miraculous Moment For Ralph Sampson
LOS ANGELES - 1983: Ralph Sampson #50 of the Houston Rockets and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar #33 of the Los Angeles Lakers battle for position during an NBA game at the Forum circa 1983 in Los Angeles, California.Ralph Sampson was ever a controversial figure. Bob Knight, made to take Sampson on a national team, derided the young big man and all but called him useless.
He was unable to take Virginia to the Final Four despite being 7-4 and an incredible talent. And in the NBA, after a brilliant start to his career, injuries and perhaps a bit of immaturity limited Sampson’s growth. Fair or not, people questioned Sampson a lot.