The Index · Legend
Ralph SampsonHouston Rockets · #50
Ralph Sampson is a retired center and Basketball Hall of Famer, most associated with the Houston Rockets. A 7-4 unicorn; half of the Twin Towers. Career averages: 15.4 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game.
Balladex Impact · 62
R
◆ Rated
Houston Rockets · #50 · Center
Ralph Sampson
Season avg2.2 pts · 3.0 reb · 0.4 ast · .310 fg
Career avg15.4 pts · 8.8 reb · 2.3 ast · .469 fg
IMPACTBalladex Impact 62 — Solid starter tierINDEXRalph Sampson · Houston RocketsIMPACTBalladex Impact 62 — Solid starter tierINDEXRalph Sampson · Houston Rockets
Scouting report
Ralph Sampson — the report card
Read his whole game at a glance, then dive into any skill. Grades from the DNA model + real production.
C
Hall of Fame center · Impact 62
Ralph Sampson is a retired center and Basketball Hall of Famer, most associated with the Houston Rockets. A 7-4 unicorn; half of the Twin Towers. Care
C-
OffenseC-
DefenseC-
Feel / IQD
Playmaking
Below average creator
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B-
Scoring
Strong scorer
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C
Rebounding
Average on the glass
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F
3PT / spacing
Below average spacing
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D
Perimeter D
Below average on the perimeter
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C
Paint / rim D
Average at the rim
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C
Clutch
Average late
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C+
Athleticism
Average tools
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C-
Basketball IQ
Reads the game
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F
Durability
Availability
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Act II
Where Ralph Sampson stands
Live ladders from the Balladex models, and what he's chasing. Rankings recompute nightly from real production, accolades, and search demand.
The laddersmodel · recomputes nightly
✦ Balladex Consensus: Solid starter tier — a blend of Impact, production and résumé.
Futures & chases
—MVP odds
62Impact index
236Star score
Career scoring average15.4 ppg
Seasons in the index9
Accolades on file2
4× NBA All-Star · HOF Hall of Fame
Stat explorer
Ralph Sampson — every number, three levels deep
Headline → metric → the raw history behind it. Real career data; tracking-only metrics labeled.
B-
Scoring
2.2 PPG
drill in ↓
D
Playmaking
0.4 APG
drill in ↓
C
Rebounding
3.0 RPG
drill in ↓
F
Shooting
.000 3P%
drill in ↓
The engine
How the model sees Ralph Sampson
Projection = per-minute rate × projected minutes. Rates are recency- and health-weighted, aged along a per-stat curve, and adjusted for live usage/role. No black box — every number shows its work.
Projected 1992-93 65% confidence
1.8
pts
-0.2–3.8
2.8
reb
1.8–3.8
0.3
ast
-0.5–1.1
9.9
min
proj
30
gp
health
.372
fg%
~base
.199
3p%
~base
Bands widen as confidence drops. Derived live from the real 9-season history below.
What moves the points line vs last season
Last season 2.2 → projected 1.8 PPG
Minutes / role
-0.2
Development (his trend)
-0.2
Age curve
+0.0
Live context
+0.0
Net vs last season-0.4 PPG
Everything it reads
📊
9 seasons of per-minute rates
every box line, minutes-normalized
real
⚖
Recency × games-played weight
recent, healthy seasons anchor the baseline
auto
📈
Weighted least-squares trend
his own trajectory, read season over season
+dev
🕰
Per-stat aging curves
age — — applied per stat
curve
🔌
Live role context
usage & role shifts fold in when the feed is present
+ctx
🏥
Durability signal
GP last 3: 26 / 25 / 10 → games & confidence
health
The real history it trains onsource: Basketball-Reference · verified
Ralph Sampson career stats, season by season
| Season | GP | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983-84 | 82 | 32.8 | 21.0 | 11.1 | 2.0 | .523 | .250 |
| 1984-85 | 82 | 37.6 | 22.1 | 10.4 | 2.7 | .502 | .000 |
| 1985-86 | 79 | 36.3 | 18.9 | 11.1 | 3.6 | .488 | .133 |
| 1986-87 | 43 | 30.8 | 15.6 | 8.7 | 2.8 | .489 | .000 |
| 1987-88 | 48 | 34.6 | 15.6 | 9.6 | 2.5 | .438 | .182 |
| 1988-89 | 61 | 17.8 | 6.4 | 5.0 | 1.3 | .449 | .375 |
| 1989-90 | 26 | 16.0 | 4.2 | 3.2 | 1.1 | .372 | .250 |
| 1990-91 | 25 | 13.9 | 3.0 | 4.4 | 0.7 | .366 | .200 |
| 1991-92 | 10 | 10.8 | 2.2 | 3.0 | 0.4 | .310 | .000 |
| Career | 456 | 29.8 | 15.4 | 8.8 | 2.3 |
Source: Basketball-Reference. Backtested against completed player-seasons in the index. The same engine powers Tonight's projection, EraLab, and the role simulator — one model, asked different questions. Illustrative.
Act III
The Lab
Every number, live and interactive. Real career data; models labeled.
Gold = MVP / Championship season · hover any bar. Real per-game data; per-36 & totals derived.
EraLab · the stat time machinenovel
Re-express a season in today's pace-and-space.
—raw PPG
→
—in 2026 pace
why
Player DNA + compssimilarity model
Scoring map · clickable zonesShotChart
Team-tinted. Modeled where tracking data is absent.
Role simulatorpowered by GM engine
Change the roster around him — his projection updates live.
Projected line shifts to — usage , assists rise as primary initiator. Title odds . Illustrative.
Context
Are the Houston Rockets built to win?
Team projection rolled up from the roster + last-season baselines — and what it means for his role.
55–27proj record
#3conf seed
+5.5net rtg
117.5off rtg
112.1def rtg
98%playoff odds
Roster delta · what changed
Switch-heavy — Switches 1–4 (or 1–5) to erase actions and keep bodies in front. Core trending improving. Defensive anchors: Amen Thompson, Fred VanVleet.
How his role moves
Projected 55–27, 3rd in the West. Real team projection from the roster + last-season baselines. His usage, minutes and creation load move with roster health.
Balladex Impact
62 of 99
Solid starter tier.
Rarity
◆ Rated
Collectible tier.
Résumé
2 accolades
4× NBA All-Star · HOF Hall of Fame
Act IV
The Ballad of Ralph Sampson
Birth to now — the making of a legend, narrated and scored.
Houston Rockets
Turning pro
Drafted 1983 as a Center.
true
Ralph Sampson is a Basketball Hall of Famer. A 7-4 unicorn; half of the Twin Towers.
Chapter
He averaged 15.4 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists over his career.
Where things stand
A Hall of Fame center and Houston Rockets name.
▶
▶
Sampson's story
The documentary, narrated
Highlights
Off the court
Measurables ESPN
- Height
- 7' 4"
- Weight
- 230 lbs
- College
- Minnesota
- Experience
- Rookie
- NBA debut
- 1983
- Draft
- 1983
- Jersey
- #50
Legacy
A 7-4 unicorn; half of the Twin Towers.
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The person
A Hall of Fame center and Houston Rockets name.
Hall of Fame
Houston Rockets
All-Star
Verified profiles & sources
FAQ
Ralph Sampson — frequently asked
The questions people ask most about Ralph Sampson, answered.
What were Ralph Sampson's career averages?
Ralph Sampson averaged 15.4 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game.
Is Ralph Sampson in the Hall of Fame?
Yes — Ralph Sampson is enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Ralph Sampson career stats & accolades are real, and team projections and recent-game home/away splits are computed from real production. DNA ratings, grades, tonight's projection, ladders, live win probability and simulator outputs are Balladex model output. Not affiliated with the NBA.
