Sam Perkins

{{Infobox basketball biography

| name = Sam Perkins

| image = Sam Perkins 2016 (cropped).jpg

| width = 240

| caption = Perkins in 2016

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 9

| weight_lb = 235

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1961|06|14}}

| birth_place = Brooklyn, New York, U.S.

| high_school =

Samuel J. Tilden
(Brooklyn, New York)
Shaker
(Latham, New York)

| college = North Carolina (1980–1984)

| draft_year = 1984

| draft_round = 1

| draft_pick = 4

| draft_team = Dallas Mavericks

| career_number = 41, 44, 14

| career_position = Power forward / center

| career_start = 1984

| career_end = 2001

| years1 = {{nbay|1984|start}}–{{nbay|1989|end}}

| team1 = Dallas Mavericks

| years2 = {{nbay|1990|start}}–{{nbay|1992|end}}

| team2 = Los Angeles Lakers

| years3 = {{nbay|1992|end}}–{{nbay|1997|end}}

| team3 = Seattle SuperSonics

| years4 = {{nbay|1998|end}}–{{nbay|2000|end}}

| team4 = Indiana Pacers

| highlights =

NBA All-Rookie First Team ({{nbay|1984|end}})
NCAA champion (1982)
2× Consensus first-team All-American (1983, 1984)
Consensus second-team All-American (1982)
3× First-team All-ACC (1982–1984)
ACC tournament MVP (1981)
ACC Rookie of the Year (1981)
No. 41 honored by North Carolina Tar Heels
USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year (1984)
First-team Parade All-American (1980)
McDonald's All-American (1980)

| stats_league = NBA

| stat1label = Points

| stat1value = 15,324 (11.9 ppg)

| stat2label = Rebounds

| stat2value = 7,666 (6.0 rpg)

| stat3label = Blocks

| stat3value = 933 (0.7 bpg)

| CBBASKHOF_year = 2018

| medal_templates = {{MedalSport | Men's basketball}}

{{MedalCountry|{{flagu|United States}}}}

}}

Samuel Bruce Perkins (born June 14, 1961){{cite web|url=http://projects.latimes.com/lakers/player/sam-perkins/|title=Sam Perkins - All Things Lakers - Los Angeles Times|website=projects.latimes.com}} 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

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Perkins attended Samuel J. Tilden High School.{{cite news|url=https://www.si.com/vault/1983/11/28/627294/a-towering-twosome|title=A TOWERING TWOSOME|first=Curry|last=Kirkpatrick|newspaper=Sports Illustrated Vault | Si.com}} He later attended and graduated from Shaker High School in Latham, New York.{{cite web|url=https://www.timesunion.com/tuplus-sports/article/Ballston-Spa-native-Scott-Cherry-finds-coaching-6710567.php|title=Ballston Spa native Scott Cherry finds coaching home at High Point|first=Jason|last=Franchuk|date=December 20, 2015|website=Times Union}} 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|date=June 2019}}

College career

Perkins attended college at the University of North Carolina and played basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels from 1980 to 1984.{{cite web|url=https://abc11.com/2165547/|title=The great Sam Perkins is giving back in Chapel Hill|date=June 30, 2017|website=ABC11 Raleigh-Durham}} He was named ACC Rookie of the Year in 1981{{cite web|url=https://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/acc/unc/article207265409.html|title=Sam Perkins, former UNC great, elected to collegiate basketball hall of fame|first=Mike|last=Sargent|website=newsobserver}} and starred alongside future NBA Hall of Famers James Worthy and Michael Jordan on the Tar Heels' 1982 NCAA championship team.{{cite web|url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19930502/1699047/easy-does-it----sam-perkins-selfless-sacrificial-sonic|title=Sports - Easy Does It -- Sam Perkins: Selfless, Sacrificial Sonic - Seattle Times Newspaper|website=community.seattletimes.nwsource.com}} A three-time All-American, Perkins was the 1984 USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year. 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. He graduated from UNC in 1984.{{cite web|url=https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/education/article197892019.html|title=Black alumni group calls for boycott of UNC fundraising campaign|last=By|website=newsobserver}} Perkins was a co-captain of the gold medal-winning 1984 United States men's Olympic basketball team.{{cite web|url=https://www.star-telegram.com/sports/article3829608.html|title=Former Maverick Sam Perkins says NBA players united|website=star-telegram}} He was named first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference three times in his Tar Heel career.{{cite web|url=https://goheels.com/news/2018/11/15/mens-basketball-perkins-to-collegiate-basketball-hall-of-fame-sunday.aspx|title=Perkins to enter collegiate basketball Hall of Fame Sunday|date=November 18, 2018|website=GoHeels.com}}

Professional career

Chosen by the Dallas Mavericks as the fourth overall pick in the 1984 NBA draft, Perkins went on to play as a power forward and center in the NBA from 1984 to 2001.{{cite web|url=https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2013/08/06/basketball-great-sam-perkins-touts-fox-as-best-for-council/|title=Basketball great Sam Perkins touts Fox as best for council|date=August 6, 2013|website=Brooklyn Eagle}} He was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 1985.{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/26795315|title=Top 5 picks make up NBA All-Rookie first team|date=May 21, 2019|website=ESPN.com}} Perkins played for the Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers, Seattle SuperSonics, and Indiana Pacers.{{cite web|url=https://www.daytondailynews.com/sports/college/former-north-carolina-star-sam-perkins-becomes-sixth-tar-heel-elected-into-college-basketball-hall-fame/UjiwmcJyRtFpKzsJ43iEXO/|title=Former North Carolina star Sam Perkins becomes sixth Tar Heel elected into College Basketball Hall of Fame|first=Diehards|last=Raj Prashad|website=daytondailynews}} He scored a career-high 45 points on April 12, 1990.{{cite web|url=https://www.proballers.com/basketball/game/468111/golden-state-warriors-dallas-mavericks-1990-04-12|title= Golden State Warriors vs. Dallas Mavericks - Apr 12, 1990 - Proballers|date=June 2019}} Perkins tied an NBA record on January 15, 1997, by making eight three-pointers without a miss.{{cite web|url=https://www.nba.com/games/20030204/LACNYK/recap.html|title=NBA.com: It's Spree for Three as Knicks Rout Clips|website=www.nba.com}} He appeared in three NBA Finals: The 1991 NBA Finals (with the Lakers),{{cite web|url=http://static.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs00/s/2000/0422/496609.html|title=Playoffs 2000:Big Smooth outside shot was key this season|website=ESPN}} the 1996 NBA Finals (with the SuperSonics), and the 2000 NBA Finals (with the Pacers).{{cite web|url=https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/sports/basketball/062000bkn-finals.html|title=O'Neal and Lakers Win a Title for Tinseltown|website=archive.nytimes.com}} All 3 Finals were coincidentally lost against the same head coach in Phil Jackson. In game one of the 1991 NBA Finals, Perkins made a game-winning three-point shot to defeat the Chicago Bulls. He was known by the nicknames "Sleepy Sam", "Big Smooth",{{cite web|url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1421183-dallas-mavericks-10-best-trades-ever|title=Dallas Mavericks: 10 Best Trades in Franchise History|first=Tom|last=Horowitz|website=Bleacher Report}} and "The Big Easy".

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.{{cite web|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-2002-09-27-0209270341-story.html|title=ACC's top 50 includes eight Terps|first=Don|last=Markus|website=baltimoresun.com|date=September 27, 2002 }}

In 2008, Perkins was named vice president of player relations for the Indiana Pacers.{{cite web|url=https://www.nba.com/pacers/news/perkinshired080609html|title=Perkins named V.P. of Player Relations|website=Indiana Pacers}} That September, he was inducted into the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame.Mallozzi, Vincent M. [https://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/18/sports/basketball/18hall.html "City's Basketball Hall Welcomes 98-Year-Old Inductee"], The New York Times, September 17, 2008. Accessed September 14, 2009. Perkins held his position with the Pacers until 2010.{{cite web|url=https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/nba/pacers/2015/06/03/2000-nba-finals-indiana-pacers-lakers-where-are-they-now-reggie-miller-rik-smits/28400495/|title=15 years later: Where are the 2000 Pacers now?|website=Indianapolis Star}}

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.{{Cite web|url=http://exchanges.state.gov/us/spotlight/sam-perkins-and-dikembe-mutombo-travel-south-sudan|title=Sam Perkins and Dikembe Mutombo Travel to South Sudan {{!}} Exchange Programs|website=exchanges.state.gov|access-date=May 1, 2016}}

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

File:Perkins at his basketball camp in 2019.jpeg

Perkins runs a summer camp for Chapel Hill, North Carolina youth that focuses on developing the basic skills of basketball.{{cite web |title= Sam Perkins Basketball Camp fundamentals of the game |url=http://samperkinscabc.com/ |access-date= July 3, 2019}}

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.McCallum, Jack, [https://www.si.com/vault/1996/03/25/211232/oh-say-should-we-sing-playing-the-national-anthem-is-a-vestige-of-wartime-fervor-so-why-is-it-still-a-part-of-us-sports-events "Oh Say Should We Sing?"] Sports Illustrated, March 25, 1996, accessed October 21, 2016.

NBA career statistics

= Regular season =

| style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1984}}

| style="text-align:left;"| Dallas

| 82 || 42 || 28.3 || .471 || .250 || .820 || 7.4 || 1.6 || .8 || .8 || 11.0

| style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1985}}

| style="text-align:left;"| Dallas

| 80 || 79 || 32.8 || .503 || .333 || .814 || 8.6 || 1.9 || .9 || 1.2 || 15.4

| style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1986}}

| style="text-align:left;"| Dallas

| 80 || 80 || 33.6 || .482 || .352 || .828 || 7.7 || 1.8 || 1.4 || 1.0 || 14.8

| style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1987}}

| style="text-align:left;"| Dallas

| 75 || 75 || 33.3 || .450 || .167 || .822 || 8.0 || 1.6 || 1.0 || .7 || 14.2

| style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1988}}

| style="text-align:left;"| Dallas

| 78 || 77 || 36.7 || .464 || .184 || .833 || 8.8 || 1.6 || 1.0 || 1.2 || 15.0

| style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1989}}

| style="text-align:left;"| Dallas

| 76 || 70 || 35.1 || .493 || .214 || .778 || 7.5 || 2.3 || 1.2 || .8 || 15.9

| style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1990}}

| style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers

| 76 || 66 || 34.3 || .495 || .281 || .821 || 7.4 || 1.5 || .9 || 1.1 || 13.5

| style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1991}}

| style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers

| 63 || 63 || 37.0 || .450 || .217 || .817 || 8.8 || 2.2 || 1.0 || 1.0 || 16.5

| style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2| {{nbay|1992}}

| style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers

| 49 || 49 || 32.4 || .459 || .172 || .829 || 7.7 || 2.6 || .8 || 1.0 || 13.7

| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle

| 30 || 13 || 25.4 || .511 || .452 || .795 || 4.8 || .9 || .7 || 1.0 || 12.1

| style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1993}}

| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle

| 81 || 41 || 26.8 || .438 || .367 || .801 || 4.5 || 1.4 || .8 || 4 || 12.3

| style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1994}}

| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle

| style="background:#cfecec;"| 82* || 37 || 28.7 || .466 || .397 || .799 || 4.9 || 1.6 || .9 || .5 || 12.7

| style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1995}}

| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle

| 82 || 20 || 26.5 || .408 || .355 || .793 || 4.5 || 1.5 || 1.0 || .6 || 11.8

| style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1996}}

| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle

| 81 || 4 || 24.4 || .439 || .395 || .817 || 3.7 || 1.3 || .9 || .6 || 11.0

| style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1997}}

| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle

| 81 || 0 || 20.7 || .416 || .392 || .789 || 3.1 || 1.4 || .8 || .4 || 7.2

| style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1998}}

| style="text-align:left;"| Indiana

| 48 || 0 || 16.4 || .400 || .389 || .717 || 2.9 || .5 || .3 || .3 || 5.0

| style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1999|trunc=y}}

| style="text-align:left;"| Indiana

| 81 || 0 || 20.0 || .417 || .408 || .825 || 3.6 || .8 || .4 || .4 || 6.6

| style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|2000}}

| style="text-align:left;"| Indiana

| 64 || 41 || 15.6 || .381 || .345 || .842 || 2.6 || .6 || .5 || .3 || 3.8

|- class="sortbottom"

| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career

| 1,286 || 757 || 28.5 || .459 || .362 || .811 || 6.0 || 1.5 || .9 || .7 || 11.9

= 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.{{cite web|url=https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/most-career-nba-playoff-games-without-a-championship |title=Karl Malone had the most games in the playoffs with exactly 0 championships, with 193 games. |work=statmuse.com |access-date=February 17, 2021}}

| style="text-align:left;"| 1985

| style="text-align:left;"| Dallas

| 4 || 4 || 42.3 || .490 || .250 || .765 || 12.8 || 2.8 || .5 || .3 || 18.8

| style="text-align:left;"| 1986

| style="text-align:left;"| Dallas

| 10 || 10 || 34.7 || .429 || .250 || .767 || 8.3 || 2.4 || .9 || 1.4 || 14.9

| style="text-align:left;"| 1987

| style="text-align:left;"| Dallas

| 4 || 4 || 17.0 || .500 || .000 || .696 || 8.5 || 1.3 || 1.0 || .3 || 17.0

| style="text-align:left;"| 1988

| style="text-align:left;"| Dallas

| 17 || 17 || 33.6 || .451 || .143 || .803 || 6.6 || 1.8 || 1.5 || 1.0 || 13.5

| style="text-align:left;"| 1990

| style="text-align:left;"| Dallas

| 3 || 3 || 39.3 || .444 || .000 || .765 || 7.3 || 2.7 || 1.0 || .7 || 15.0

| style="text-align:left;"| 1991

| style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers

| 19 || 19 || 39.6 || .548 || .367 || .761 || 8.3 || 1.7 || .8 || 1.4 || 17.7

| style="text-align:left;"| 1993

| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle

| 19 || 17 || 32.9 || .436 || .380 || .873 || 7.0 || 1.9 || 1.0 || 1.3 || 14.4

| style="text-align:left;"| 1994

| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle

| 5 || 0 || 28.2 || .333 || .429 || .882 || 7.2 || .8 || .8 || .4 || 9.8

| style="text-align:left;"| 1995

| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle

| 4 || 1 || 35.3 || .438 || .455 || 1.000 || 7.8 || 3.3 || .8 || 1.3 || 13.5

| style="text-align:left;"| 1996

| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle

| 21 || 1 || 31.1 || .459 || .368 || .754 || 4.3 || 1.7 || .7 || .3 || 12.3

| style="text-align:left;"| 1997

| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle

| 12 || 6 || 28.3 || .337 || .311 || .862 || 4.4 || 1.3 || 1.0 || 1.0 || 8.4

| style="text-align:left;"| 1998

| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle

| 10 || 1 || 21.0 || .381 || .417 || .600 || 3.2 || 1.4 || .3 || .5 || 5.4

| style="text-align:left;"| 1999

| style="text-align:left;"| Indiana

| 13 || 0 || 11.2 || .514 || .458 || .667 || 1.9 || .5 || .0 || .2 || 4.1

| style="text-align:left;"| 2000

| style="text-align:left;"| Indiana

| 23 || 0 || 18.1 || .324 || .348 || .905 || 3.2 || .4 || .2 || .3 || 4.8

| style="text-align:left;"| 2001

| style="text-align:left;"| Indiana

| 3 || 0 || 6.3 || .250 || .250 || – || 1.3 || .0 || .0 || .0 || 1.7

|- class="sortbottom"

| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career

| 167 || 83 || 28.7 || .444 || .363 || .785 || 5.6 || 1.5 || .7 || .8 || 11.1

References

External links

[http://www.nba.com/historical/playerfile/index.html?player=sam_perkins NBA.com Player File]
[https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/perkisa01.html Sam Perkins at Basketball-Reference.com]

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Category:American men's basketball players

Category:Basketball players at the 1983 Pan American Games

Category:Basketball players at the 1984 Summer Olympics