Ralph Sampson owns restaurants near UVA campus in retirement
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (BVM) – Ralph Sampson is Virginia through and through. He was born and raised in Harrisonburg, played college basketball at the University of Virginia and even played his final NBA season as a member of the Washington Bullets, the nearest professional basketball team to the area.
To this end, it is no surprise to find Sampson still in his home state supporting his college. However, he’s doing so in a unique way for a retired basketball player as he owns two restaurants near the Virginia campus in Charlottesville. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer has seen his life go full circle with his beloved Virginia in the center of all the action.
Early life and high school basketball
Ralph Sampson Jr. was already heading for legendary status as a high schooler. As a freshman at Harrisonburg High School, Sampson already measured at 6-foot-7. By the time he left the school, he was a towering 7-foot-4.
With both size and great touch near the rim, Sampson quickly rose to become the No. 1 prospect in the Class of 1979. The center established numerous program records for the Harrisonburg Blue Streaks including most career points (1,669), rebounds (1,229), blocked shots (475), single-game points (50) and single-game rebounds (34). During his senior year, Sampson averaged 29.5 points and 20.4 rebounds while helping Harrisonburg to its second straight state title.
Given his prowess, the Parade All-American had his choice of programs to choose from. Ultimately, Sampson decided to stay in state and join the Cavaliers out of a group that included Kentucky, North Carolina and Virginia Tech.
College career
As the No. 1 player in his class, Sampson came to Charlottesville with high expectations, but he passed them and then some. As a freshman, Sampson was named the Atlantic Coast Conference rookie of the year after he averaged 14.9 points, 11.2 rebounds and 4.6 blocks over 34 games, helping the Cavaliers win the National Invitational Tournament with an MVP performance.
The next season, Sampson began a stretch of dominance that had only been seen once before and never again since. After averaging 17.7 points, 11.5 rebounds and 3.1 blocks over 33 games, Sampson was named the Naismith College Player of the Year. Sampson went on to win the award three consecutive times, joining UCLA’s Bill Walton, who also earned the honor three times, as the only players to win the award more than once.
As a junior, Sampson continued his historic streak by averaging 15.8 points, 11.4 rebounds and 3.1 blocks over 32 games. During his senior year of 1982-83, Sampson again won the Naismith after he averaged a career-high 19 points, 11.7 rebounds and 3.1 blocks.
NBA career
Sampson entered the 1983 NBA Draft as the consensus choice for the first overall pick. The Houston Rockets made that official when they selected Sampson with the No. 1 pick in the first round.
The 7-foot-4 center seemed immediately destined for stardom. As a rookie, Sampson averaged 21 points, 11.1 rebounds and 2.4 blocks on his way to Rookie of the Year honors. That season, he was also selected to the All-Star game, his first of four consecutive selections.
In 1984, the Rockets again had the No. 1 overall pick and used it to select future Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon, another center. This move bumped Sampson to power forward, but he still played well as he was named an All-Star at the position three straight years.
However, Sampson was traded from the Rockets to the Golden State Warriors in December 1987 for cash considerations and a pair of players. Once he left Houston, Sampson’s career would never be the same.
Already struggling with injuries during the 1986-87 season that limited him to just 43 games, Sampson had similar issues when he was traded to the Warriors, playing in only 48 total games in 1987-88. The next year, Sampson played in 61 games, but was only able to start 36 after knee surgery.
Sampson’s career spiraled from there as he was traded to the Sacramento Kings before the 1989 season. In two years in Sacramento, Sampson only played in 51 games with 11 starts and averaged just 3.6 points and 3.8 rebounds. For his final season, Sampson signed with the Washington Bullets but was a complete shell of himself as he played in just 10 games and didn’t start a single one.
Thanks mostly to injuries, Sampson retired in 1992 at age 31. During his time in the league, Sampson averaged 15.4 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 456 career games, just over half of the 820 games he could have played in over 10 seasons.
Retirement and post-playing career
After his retirement, Simpson dabbled in coaching, serving as an assistant coach at James Madison University in his hometown for the 1992-93 season. He also had a coaching stint with a minor league professional team in Richmond, Virginia named the Richmond Rhythm for the 1999-2000 season before serving as an assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns during the 2012-13 campaign.
In 2011, Sampson was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. The very next year, he was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame.
Most of Sampson’s time in retirement has been spent on his children. His son, Ralph III, played four years for the University of Minnesota where he averaged 8.1 points, five rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 125 games with 112 starts. Another son, Robert, also played four seasons of Division I basketball from 2010-15, three with East Carolina University and one with Georgia Tech, where he averaged 5.9 points, 6.0 rebounds and one block over 127 games with 66 starts.
Today, Sampson has returned to Charlottesville, not as a player but a proud alumni. This has included a new life as a restaurateur where he is part of an ownership group of Virginia campus staple, The White Spot, as well as Ralph Sampson’s American Tap Room which he opened earlier this year.
While it remains to be seen what more Sampson does in the restaurant business, it is clear that he will continue to keep Charlottesville and the state of Virginia close to his heart.
