Sam Perkins

Last updated

Sam Perkins
Sam Perkins 2016 (cropped).jpg
Perkins in 2016
Personal information
Born (1961-06-14) June 14, 1961 (age 63)
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight235 lb (107 kg)
Career information
High school
College North Carolina (1980–1984)
NBA draft 1984: 1st round, 4th overall pick
Selected by the Dallas Mavericks
Playing career1984–2001
Position Power forward / center
Number41, 44, 14
Career history
1984–1990 Dallas Mavericks
1990–1993 Los Angeles Lakers
1993–1998 Seattle SuperSonics
1999–2001 Indiana Pacers
Career highlights and awards
Career NBA statistics
Points 15,324 (11.9 ppg)
Rebounds 7,666 (6.0 rpg)
Blocks 933 (0.7 bpg)
Stats at NBA.com  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Stats at Basketball Reference  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
College Basketball Hall of Fame
Inducted in 2018
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing Flag of the United States.svg United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1984 Los Angeles Team competition
Pan American Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1983 Caracas Team competition [ citation needed ]
FIBA U19 World Championship
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1979 Salvador Team competition[ citation needed ]

Samuel Bruce Perkins (born June 14, 1961) [1] is an American former professional basketball player and executive. Perkins was a three-time college All-American, was a member of the 1982 national champion North Carolina Tar Heels, and won a gold medal with the 1984 United States men's Olympic basketball team. Perkins played professionally in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 17 seasons.

Contents

Early life

Born in Brooklyn, New York, [1] Perkins attended Samuel J. Tilden High School. [2] He later attended and graduated from Shaker High School in Latham, New York. [2] [3] He was named large-school player of the year (high school) by the New York State Sportswriters Association in 1980 and was also named to the 35 Greatest Boys McDonald's All Americans team.[ citation needed ]

College career

Perkins attended college at the University of North Carolina and played basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels from 1980 to 1984. [4] He was named ACC Rookie of the Year in 1981 [5] and starred alongside future NBA Hall of Famers James Worthy and Michael Jordan on the Tar Heels' 1982 NCAA championship team. [5] [6] A three-time All-American, [5] Perkins was the 1984 USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year. [4] Perkins finished his collegiate basketball career as the Tar Heels' all-time leader in rebounds and blocked shots and as the second-highest scorer in team history. [5] He graduated from UNC in 1984. [7] Perkins was a co-captain of the gold medal-winning 1984 United States men's Olympic basketball team. [8] He was named first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference three times in his Tar Heel career. [9]

Professional career

Chosen by the Dallas Mavericks as the fourth overall pick in the 1984 NBA draft, [4] Perkins went on to play as a power forward and center in the NBA from 1984 to 2001. [10] He was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 1985. [11] Perkins played for the Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers, Seattle SuperSonics, and Indiana Pacers. [12] He scored a career-high 45 points on April 12, 1990. [13] Perkins tied an NBA record on January 15, 1997, by making eight three-pointers without a miss. [14] He appeared in three NBA Finals: The 1991 NBA Finals (with the Lakers), [15] the 1996 NBA Finals (with the SuperSonics), [15] and the 2000 NBA Finals (with the Pacers). [16] In game one of the 1991 NBA Finals, Perkins made a game-winning three-point shot to defeat the Chicago Bulls. [1] He was known by the nicknames "Sleepy Sam", "Big Smooth", [17] [10] and "The Big Easy". [1]

Post-retirement activities

In 2002, Perkins was named to the ACC 50th Anniversary men's basketball team as one of the fifty greatest players in Atlantic Coast Conference history. [18]

In 2008, Perkins was named vice president of player relations for the Indiana Pacers. [19] That September, he was inducted into the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame. [20] Perkins held his position with the Pacers until 2010. [21]

In 2011, Perkins traveled to South Sudan as a SportsUnited Sports Envoy for the U.S. Department of State. In this capacity, he worked with Dikembe Mutombo to lead a series of basketball clinics and team-building exercises with 50 youth and 36 coaches. This helped contribute to the State Department's mission to remove barriers and create a world in which individuals with disabilities enjoy dignity and full inclusion in society. [22]

Perkins was named to the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018. [5]

Perkins at his camp in 2019 Perkins at his basketball camp in 2019.jpeg
Perkins at his camp in 2019

Perkins runs a summer camp for Chapel Hill, North Carolina youth that focuses on developing the basic skills of basketball. [23]

Personal life

Perkins was raised a Jehovah's Witness. During his professional career, he stood away from his line of teammates for the national anthem due to his faith. [24]

NBA career statistics

Legend
  GPGames played  GS Games started MPG Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage 3P%  3-point field goal percentage FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game APG  Assists per game SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game PPG Points per game Bold Career high
 * Led the league

Regular season

YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
1984–85 Dallas 824228.3.471.250.8207.41.6.8.811.0
1985–86 Dallas 807932.8.503.333.8148.61.9.91.215.4
1986–87 Dallas 808033.6.482.352.8287.71.81.41.014.8
1987–88 Dallas 757533.3.450.167.8228.01.61.0.714.2
1988–89 Dallas 787736.7.464.184.8338.81.61.01.215.0
1989–90 Dallas 767035.1.493.214.7787.52.31.2.815.9
1990–91 L.A. Lakers 766634.3.495.281.8217.41.5.91.113.5
1991–92 L.A. Lakers 636337.0.450.217.8178.82.21.01.016.5
1992–93 L.A. Lakers 494932.4.459.172.8297.72.6.81.013.7
1992–93 Seattle 301325.4.511.452.7954.8.9.71.012.1
1993–94 Seattle 814126.8.438.367.8014.51.4.8412.3
1994–95 Seattle 82*3728.7.466.397.7994.91.6.9.512.7
1995–96 Seattle 822026.5.408.355.7934.51.51.0.611.8
1996–97 Seattle 81424.4.439.395.8173.71.3.9.611.0
1997–98 Seattle 81020.7.416.392.7893.11.4.8.47.2
1998–99 Indiana 48016.4.400.389.7172.9.5.3.35.0
1999–00 Indiana 81020.0.417.408.8253.6.8.4.46.6
2000–01 Indiana 644115.6.381.345.8422.6.6.5.33.8
Career1,28675728.5.459.362.8116.01.5.9.711.9

Playoffs

Perkins has the distinction of having the third-most playoff games appeared in without having been on a team that won the NBA Championship. The only players with more playoff appearances and zero rings, as of the 2020 season, are Hall of Famers and longtime Utah Jazz players Karl Malone and John Stockton. [25]

YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
1985 Dallas 4442.3.490.250.76512.82.8.5.318.8
1986 Dallas 101034.7.429.250.7678.32.4.91.414.9
1987 Dallas 4417.0.500.000.6968.51.31.0.317.0
1988 Dallas 171733.6.451.143.8036.61.81.51.013.5
1990 Dallas 3339.3.444.000.7657.32.71.0.715.0
1991 L.A. Lakers 191939.6.548.367.7618.31.7.81.417.7
1993 Seattle 191732.9.436.380.8737.01.91.01.314.4
1994 Seattle 5028.2.333.429.8827.2.8.8.49.8
1995 Seattle 4135.3.438.4551.0007.83.3.81.313.5
1996 Seattle 21131.1.459.368.7544.31.7.7.312.3
1997 Seattle 12628.3.337.311.8624.41.31.01.08.4
1998 Seattle 10121.0.381.417.6003.21.4.3.55.4
1999 Indiana 13011.2.514.458.6671.9.5.0.24.1
2000 Indiana 23018.1.324.348.9053.2.4.2.34.8
2001 Indiana 306.3.250.250–1.3.0.0.01.7
Career1678328.7.444.363.7855.61.5.7.811.1

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Sam Perkins - All Things Lakers - Los Angeles Times". projects.latimes.com.
  2. 1 2 Kirkpatrick, Curry. "A TOWERING TWOSOME". Sports Illustrated Vault | Si.com.
  3. ↑ Franchuk, Jason (December 20, 2015). "Ballston Spa native Scott Cherry finds coaching home at High Point". Times Union.
  4. 1 2 3 "The great Sam Perkins is giving back in Chapel Hill". ABC11 Raleigh-Durham. June 30, 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Sargent, Mike. "Sam Perkins, former UNC great, elected to collegiate basketball hall of fame". newsobserver.
  6. ↑ "Sports - Easy Does It -- Sam Perkins: Selfless, Sacrificial Sonic - Seattle Times Newspaper". community.seattletimes.nwsource.com.
  7. ↑ By. "Black alumni group calls for boycott of UNC fundraising campaign". newsobserver.
  8. ↑ "Former Maverick Sam Perkins says NBA players united". star-telegram.
  9. ↑ "Perkins to enter collegiate basketball Hall of Fame Sunday". GoHeels.com. November 18, 2018.
  10. 1 2 "Basketball great Sam Perkins touts Fox as best for council". Brooklyn Eagle. August 6, 2013.
  11. ↑ "Top 5 picks make up NBA All-Rookie first team". ESPN.com. May 21, 2019.
  12. ↑ Raj Prashad, Diehards. "Former North Carolina star Sam Perkins becomes sixth Tar Heel elected into College Basketball Hall of Fame". daytondailynews.
  13. ↑ "Golden State Warriors vs. Dallas Mavericks - Apr 12, 1990 - Proballers". June 2019.
  14. ↑ "NBA.com: It's Spree for Three as Knicks Rout Clips". www.nba.com.
  15. 1 2 "Playoffs 2000:Big Smooth outside shot was key this season". ESPN .
  16. ↑ "O'Neal and Lakers Win a Title for Tinseltown". archive.nytimes.com.
  17. ↑ Horowitz, Tom. "Dallas Mavericks: 10 Best Trades in Franchise History". Bleacher Report.
  18. ↑ Markus, Don (September 27, 2002). "ACC's top 50 includes eight Terps". baltimoresun.com.
  19. ↑ "Perkins named V.P. of Player Relations". Indiana Pacers.
  20. ↑ Mallozzi, Vincent M. "City's Basketball Hall Welcomes 98-Year-Old Inductee", The New York Times , September 17, 2008. Accessed September 14, 2009.
  21. ↑ "15 years later: Where are the 2000 Pacers now?". Indianapolis Star.
  22. ↑ "Sam Perkins and Dikembe Mutombo Travel to South Sudan | Exchange Programs". exchanges.state.gov. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  23. ↑ "Sam Perkins Basketball Camp fundamentals of the game" . Retrieved July 3, 2019.
  24. ↑ McCallum, Jack, "Oh Say Should We Sing?" Sports Illustrated , March 25, 1996, accessed October 21, 2016.
  25. ↑ "Karl Malone had the most games in the playoffs with exactly 0 championships, with 193 games". statmuse.com. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
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