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Player profile · GSW / HOU / SAC / WSB
Ralph Sampson
Ralph Sampson stats, teams and career impact
#950 all-timeCareer averages · 15.4 PPG · 8.8 RPG · 2.3 APGPeak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
- Position
- Power forward
- Final NBA team
- Washington Bullets
- Height / weight
- 7 ft 4 in (224 cm) · 228 lb (103 kg)
- Born
- July 7, 1960 (66 yrs old)
- College
- Virginia
- NBA seasons
- 9 seasons · 1983–84 to 1991–92
Career summaryRalph Sampson was a power forward who played 9 NBA seasons, from 1983–84 through 1991–92.
- Career PPG
- 15.4
- Career RPG
- 8.8
- Career APG
- 2.3
- #47 in 1983–84
- #950 all-time
Best-Season Impact Rank
Career Impact Rank
Peak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
Career overview
Why Ralph Sampson ranks #950 all time
Ralph Sampson ranks #950 all time. Across his three best seasons, his average league finish was #62.0. His full-career value ranks #735, so longevity is a major reason he lands this high.
450+ minutes required per season
456 games · Career Value Rank #735
NBA honors4× All-Star · All-NBA · ROYContext only; honors are not model inputs.
Head to head
Compare Ralph Sampson with…
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- Ralph Sampson vs. Arnie Risen Similar career path
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- Ralph Sampson vs. Ed Nealy Same-era comparison
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- Ralph Sampson vs. Albert King Same-era comparison
Full player detailsTeam history, career shooting and sources
Full team history
- Teams
- Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings, and Washington Bullets
Career shooting
NBA regular season- Field goal
- 48.6%FG%
- Three-point
- 17.2%3P%
- Free throw
- 66.1%FT%
456 career games · 13,591 minutes
Sources and updateConventional stats and measurements: Basketball Reference, accessed Sep 13, 2026. hussEyquation ranking data through 2025–26. Life dates: Wikidata; conflicting dates checked against Basketball Reference, accessed Sep 17, 2026.
Traditional box score
Ralph Sampson stats by season
Start with scoring and impact, then switch views for shooting or the full advanced picture. Career percentages use total makes and attempts.
Swipe for PPG · RPG · APG · Impact · Team · G · GS · MPG →
| 1991–92 | 2.2 | 3.0 | 0.4 | -8.49 | WSB | 10 | 0 | 10.8 | 31.0% | 0.0% | 66.7% | — | -14.3 |
| 1990–91 | 3.0 | 4.4 | 0.7 | -5.46 | SAC | 25 | 4 | 13.9 | 36.6% | 20.0% | 26.3% | — | -23.7 |
| 1989–90 | 4.2 | 3.2 | 1.1 | -5.65 | SAC | 26 | 7 | 16.0 | 37.2% | 25.0% | 52.2% | — | -30.6 |
| 1988–89 | 6.4 | 5.0 | 1.3 | -2.35 | GSW | 61 | 36 | 17.8 | 44.9% | 37.5% | 65.3% | #196 | -8.5 |
| 1987–88 | 15.6 | 9.6 | 2.5 | -1.98 | GSW/HOU | 48 | 44 | 34.6 | 43.8% | 18.2% | 76.0% | #178 | 0.8 |
| 1986–87 | 15.6 | 8.7 | 2.8 | +0.48 | HOU | 43 | 32 | 30.8 | 48.9% | 0.0% | 62.4% | #76 | 68.5 |
| 1985–86 | 18.9 | 11.1 | 3.6 | +1.08 | HOU | 79 | 76 | 36.3 | 48.8% | 13.3% | 64.1% | #64 | 190.2 |
| 1984–85 | 22.1 | 10.4 | 2.7 | +0.52 | HOU | 82 | 82 | 37.6 | 50.2% | 0.0% | 67.6% | #75 | 165.5 |
| 1983–84 | 21.0 | 11.1 | 2.0 | +1.36 | HOU | 82 | 82 | 32.8 | 52.3% | 25.0% | 66.1% | #47 | 197.3 |
| Career | 15.4 | 8.8 | 2.3 | — | GSW/HOU/SAC/WSB | 456 | — | 29.8 | 48.6% | 17.2% | 66.1% | — | — |
Source: Basketball Reference regular-season totals, accessed Sep 13, 2026.
What these measures mean
- Era-centered box impact
- Estimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average.
- Impact Rate Rank
- The player's place among qualified players in one season.
- Value contribution / Season Value
- Completed seasons use a fixed-baseline contribution to Career Value. The live season instead uses Season Value, combining that season's impact with workload.
- Career Impact Rank
- An all-time rank weighted toward the player's best three, five, and ten seasons.
90.6 composite · lower is better
88.0 average league finish
545 total value
Career standing
How Ralph Sampson ranks all time
These are league placements, not raw scores. Each season is judged against that season's qualified player pool.
Best in the league
Elite finishes
Upper-tier finishes
Tie-breaker across top-ten seasons
Career Composite Score90.6
Best 3, Best 5, and Best 10 average league finishes receive 50%, 30%, and 20% window weights. Missing seasons receive a replacement finish just below the player's typical qualified field. Lower is better.
- Best 3 effective weight
- 74%
- Missing-season finish
- 255.5
- Qualified seasons
- 6
- All-time rank
- #950
Strongest seasons
Every season
Ralph Sampson advanced stats by season
Era-centered box impact supports comparisons through time. Impact Rate and its rank compare players only within that season.
More advanced statsAge, minutes, impact, rank, value and data coverage
Scroll for more columns
| 1991–92Historical Defense Estimate | WSB | 31 | 10 | 108 | -8.49 | — | — | -14.3 | — | Limited |
| 1990–91Historical Defense Estimate | SAC | 30 | 25 | 348 | -5.46 | — | — | -23.7 | — | Limited |
| 1989–90Historical Defense Estimate | SAC | 29 | 26 | 417 | -5.65 | — | — | -30.6 | — | Limited |
| 1988–89Historical Defense Estimate | GSW | 28 | 61 | 1,086 | -2.35 | 25.9 | #196 | -8.5 | 25th | Broad |
| 1987–88Historical Defense Estimate | GSW/HOU | 27 | 48 | 1,663 | -1.98 | 29.2 | #178 | 0.8 | 29th | Broad |
| 1986–87Historical Defense Estimate | HOU | 26 | 43 | 1,326 | +0.48 | 70.7 | #76 | 68.5 | 62nd | Broad |
| 1985–86Historical Defense Estimate | HOU | 25 | 79 | 2,864 | +1.08 | 75.2 | #64 | 190.2 | 87th | Broad |
| 1984–85Historical Defense Estimate | HOU | 24 | 82 | 3,086 | +0.52 | 70.8 | #75 | 165.5 | 83rd | Broad |
| 1983–84Historical Defense Estimate | HOU | 23 | 82 | 2,693 | +1.36 | 81.5 | #47 | 197.3 | 88th | Broad |
Career movement
Ralph Sampson's career impact by season
Peak +1.36 in 1983–84 · 9 seasons · 13,591 minutes
The same historical box-score model is used for every season, making the career shape comparable through time. The vertical scale adapts to this player's range and always includes zero.
Era-centered box impactMinutes
Player-specific impact scaleWorkload
Career comparison
Compare the shape, not the calendar
Align by NBA experience to compare season one with season one, or by age to compare players at the same stage of life.
Ralph SampsonArnie Risen
| NBA season | Ralph Sampson | Arnie Risen |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1.4 | 1.4 |
| 2 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| 3 | 1.1 | 0.1 |
| 4 | 0.5 | 0.6 |
| 5 | -2.0 | -1.0 |
| 6 | -2.3 | -2.3 |
| 7 | -5.6 | -1.2 |
| 8 | -5.5 | -2.1 |
| 9 | -8.5 | Did not play |
NBA season number
Similar career arcs
Players with careers similar to Ralph Sampson
The career-similarity score compares era-centered box impact, peak, prime, workload, career length, position, and experience-aligned trajectory. It describes career shape, not playing style, equal ability, or probability.
C · All-Time Career #252
Arnie Risen
92career similarity score
92/100 closest-season score · 1983–84 ↔ 1950–51C · All-Time Career #1096Dave Robisch
91career similarity score
85/100 closest-season score · 1983–84 ↔ 1976–77C · All-Time Career #984Billy Paultz
91career similarity score
86/100 closest-season score · 1983–84 ↔ 1976–77Impact Rate shows how strong a player was compared with everyone else that season. Season Value adds how much he played; completed player-profile rows instead show each season's fixed-baseline contribution to Career Value. Career Impact Rank rewards a high peak, a long prime, and repeated seasons near the top. Older seasons use clearly labeled estimates where the NBA did not record today's full set of statistics. Read how every ranking works →