Ralph Sampson

Ralph Sampson is an American former professional basketball player, born in Harrisonburg, Virginia on 7 July 1960. A center of seven feet four inches who also played power forward, he was among the most heavily recruited prospects of his generation. At the University of Virginia he won the Naismith Award as national player of the year three times and led the Cavaliers to the National Invitation Tournament title in 1980 and to the Final Four in 1981. The Houston Rockets chose him first overall in the 1983 NBA draft. He won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award, was named most valuable player of the 1985 NBA All-Star Game and made four All-Star teams, pairing with Hakeem Olajuwon as the Rockets Twin Towers on the team that reached the 1986 NBA Finals. Repeated knee and back injuries cut short his career after stops with the Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings and Washington Bullets, and he retired in 1995. He entered the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012.