Edge Rewrite
everything Source code View original
// HTMLRewriter · presentation

This page was redesigned at the edge.

Cloudflare fetched the original article and streamed it through HTMLRewriter to apply an entirely new visual system without rebuilding the source page.

// request.cf · coarse context

A page that knows where it met you.

Only coarse request metadata is shown. This demo does not display or persist visitor IP addresses.

Country
US
Cloudflare location
CMH
Connection
HTTP/2
Language
Not provided

Ray ID: a225c715fe3ecac0

Jump to content

Sam Perkins

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sam Perkins
Perkins in 2016
Personal information
Born (1961-06-14) June 14, 1961 (age 65)
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight260 lb (118 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegeNorth Carolina (1980–1984)
NBA draft1984: 1st round, 4th overall pick
Drafted byDallas Mavericks
Playing career1984–2001
PositionPower forward / center
Number41, 44, 14
Career history
1984–1990Dallas Mavericks
1990–1993Los Angeles Lakers
1993–1998Seattle SuperSonics
1999–2001Indiana Pacers
Career highlights
Career NBA statistics
Points15,324 (11.9 ppg)
Rebounds7,666 (6.0 rpg)
Blocks933 (0.7 bpg)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place1984 Los AngelesTeam competition
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place1983 CaracasTeam competition[citation needed]
FIBA U19 World Championship
Gold medal – first place1979 SalvadorTeam 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.

Early life

[edit]

Perkins was born in Brooklyn, New York,[1] and 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 high school player of the year 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

[edit]

Perkins attended the University of North Carolina, playing basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels from 1980 to 1984[4] and graduating with his class.[5] He was named ACC Rookie of the Year in 1981[6] and starred alongside future NBA Hall of Famers James Worthy and Michael Jordan on the Tar Heels' 1982 NCAA championship team.[6][7] He was a three-time All-American,[6] three-time first-team All-ACC,[8] and named 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.[6] Perkins was a co-captain of the gold medal-winning 1984 United States men's Olympic basketball team.[9]

Professional career

[edit]

Perkins was chosen by the Dallas Mavericks as the fourth overall pick in the 1984 NBA draft,[4] and went on to play as a power forward and center in the NBA from 1984 to 2001[10] with Dallas, the Los Angeles Lakers, Seattle SuperSonics, and Indiana Pacers.[11] He was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 1985,[12] and 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: in 1991 (with the Lakers),[15] in 1996 (with the SuperSonics),[15] and in 2000 (with the Pacers).[16] All three Finals were lost to teams coached by Phil Jackson. 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

[edit]

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.[6]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]
Legend
  GP Games 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

[edit]
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
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
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
Career 1,28675728.5.459.362.8116.01.5.9.711.9

Playoffs

[edit]

Perkins has the distinction of having the fourth-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 2025 season, are Hall of Fame Utah Jazz teammates Karl Malone and John Stockton and current player James Harden.[25]

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
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
Career 1678328.7.444.363.7855.61.5.7.811.1

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  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. ↑ By. "Black alumni group calls for boycott of UNC fundraising campaign". newsobserver.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Sargent, Mike. "Sam Perkins, former UNC great, elected to collegiate basketball hall of fame". newsobserver.
  7. ↑ "Sports - Easy Does It -- Sam Perkins: Selfless, Sacrificial Sonic - Seattle Times Newspaper". community.seattletimes.nwsource.com.
  8. ↑ "Perkins to enter collegiate basketball Hall of Fame Sunday". GoHeels.com. November 18, 2018.
  9. ↑ "Former Maverick Sam Perkins says NBA players united". star-telegram.
  10. 1 2 "Basketball great Sam Perkins touts Fox as best for council". Brooklyn Eagle. August 6, 2013.
  11. ↑ Raj Prashad, Diehards. "Former North Carolina star Sam Perkins becomes sixth Tar Heel elected into College Basketball Hall of Fame". daytondailynews. Archived from the original on June 9, 2019. Retrieved June 9, 2019.
  12. ↑ "Top 5 picks make up NBA All-Rookie first team". ESPN.com. May 21, 2019.
  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 November 7, 2025.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sam_Perkins&oldid=1366483198"