Sam Perkins
Template:Short description Template:For Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox basketball biography Samuel Bruce Perkins (born June 14, 1961)<ref name="latimes.com">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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 lifeEdit
Born in Brooklyn, New York,<ref name="latimes.com"/> Perkins attended Samuel J. Tilden High School.<ref name="auto">Template:Cite news</ref> He later attended and graduated from Shaker High School in Latham, New York.<ref name="auto"/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.Template:Citation needed
College careerEdit
Perkins attended college at the University of North Carolina and played basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels from 1980 to 1984.<ref name="abc11.com">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He was named ACC Rookie of the Year in 1981<ref name="auto1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and starred alongside future NBA Hall of Famers James Worthy and Michael Jordan on the Tar Heels' 1982 NCAA championship team.<ref name="auto1"/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> A three-time All-American,<ref name="auto1"/> Perkins was the 1984 USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year.<ref name="abc11.com"/> 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.<ref name="auto1"/> He graduated from UNC in 1984.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Perkins was a co-captain of the gold medal-winning 1984 United States men's Olympic basketball team.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He was named first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference three times in his Tar Heel career.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Professional careerEdit
Chosen by the Dallas Mavericks as the fourth overall pick in the 1984 NBA draft,<ref name="abc11.com"/> Perkins went on to play as a power forward and center in the NBA from 1984 to 2001.<ref name="brooklyneagle.com">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 1985.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Perkins played for the Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers, Seattle SuperSonics, and Indiana Pacers.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He scored a career-high 45 points on April 12, 1990.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Perkins tied an NBA record on January 15, 1997, by making eight three-pointers without a miss.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He appeared in three NBA Finals: The 1991 NBA Finals (with the Lakers),<ref name="go.com">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> the 1996 NBA Finals (with the SuperSonics),<ref name="go.com"/> and the 2000 NBA Finals (with the Pacers).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In game one of the 1991 NBA Finals, Perkins made a game-winning three-point shot to defeat the Chicago Bulls.<ref name="latimes.com"/> He was known by the nicknames "Sleepy Sam", "Big Smooth",<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="brooklyneagle.com"/> and "The Big Easy".<ref name="latimes.com"/>
Post-retirement activitiesEdit
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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In 2008, Perkins was named vice president of player relations for the Indiana Pacers.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> That September, he was inducted into the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame.<ref name=nyt>Mallozzi, Vincent M. "City's Basketball Hall Welcomes 98-Year-Old Inductee", The New York Times, September 17, 2008. Accessed September 14, 2009.</ref> Perkins held his position with the Pacers until 2010.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Perkins was named to the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018.<ref name="auto1"/>
Perkins runs a summer camp for Chapel Hill, North Carolina youth that focuses on developing the basic skills of basketball.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Personal lifeEdit
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.<ref>McCallum, Jack, "Oh Say Should We Sing?" Sports Illustrated, March 25, 1996, accessed October 21, 2016.</ref>
NBA career statisticsEdit
Template:NBA player statistics legend
Regular seasonEdit
Template:NBA player statistics start |- | style="text-align:left;"| Template:Nbay | style="text-align:left;"| Dallas | 82 || 42 || 28.3 || .471 || .250 || .820 || 7.4 || 1.6 || .8 || .8 || 11.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Template:Nbay | 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;"| Template:Nbay | 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;"| Template:Nbay | 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;"| Template:Nbay | 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;"| Template:Nbay | 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;"| Template:Nbay | 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;"| Template:Nbay | 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| Template:Nbay | 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;"| Template:Nbay | style="text-align:left;"| Seattle | 81 || 41 || 26.8 || .438 || .367 || .801 || 4.5 || 1.4 || .8 || 4 || 12.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Template:Nbay | 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;"| Template:Nbay | 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;"| Template:Nbay | style="text-align:left;"| Seattle | 81 || 4 || 24.4 || .439 || .395 || .817 || 3.7 || 1.3 || .9 || .6 || 11.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Template:Nbay | style="text-align:left;"| Seattle | 81 || 0 || 20.7 || .416 || .392 || .789 || 3.1 || 1.4 || .8 || .4 || 7.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Template:Nbay | style="text-align:left;"| Indiana | 48 || 0 || 16.4 || .400 || .389 || .717 || 2.9 || .5 || .3 || .3 || 5.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Template:Nbay | style="text-align:left;"| Indiana | 81 || 0 || 20.0 || .417 || .408 || .825 || 3.6 || .8 || .4 || .4 || 6.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Template:Nbay | 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 Template:S-end
PlayoffsEdit
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.<ref name="statmuse">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:NBA player statistics start |- | 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 Template:S-end
See alsoEdit
- List of NCAA Division I men's basketball players with 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds
- List of National Basketball Association career games played leaders