JaKarr Jordan Sampson (born March 20, 1993) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player for

Kuwait SC Kuwait Sports Club () is a Kuwaiti professional football club based in Kuwait City. Their football team has won Kuwait Premier League 19 times and has won over 50 trophies overall. The club plays in the Al Kuwait Sports Club Stadium located i ...

of the

Kuwaiti Division I Basketball League The Kuwaiti Division I Basketball League is the highest professional basketball league in Kuwait. The most decorated team in the league is Kuwait SC, who have won fourteen national titles. Teams * Al Kuwait SC *Al Arabi * Al Jahraa *Al Nasar ...

. He played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for the

St. John's Red Storm The St. John's Red Storm is the nickname used for the 17 varsity athletic programs of St. John's University, in the U.S. state of New York. St. John's 17 NCAA Division I teams compete in the Big East Conference, with the exception of the fencin ...

. He is a frequent rebounder and shot-blocker, and is noted for his speed and a near 7'0" wingspan. He won a national championship with

Brewster Academy Brewster Academy is a co-educational independent boarding school located on in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, United States. It occupies of shoreline along Lake Winnipesaukee. With around 350 students, it serves grades nine through twelve and po ...

in 2012 after achieving star status with his high school team.

High school career

Sampson attended St. Vincent–St. Mary High School in

Akron, Ohio Akron () is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Ohio, fifth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 190,469 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Akron metr ...

from 2007 to 2010, before transferring to

in August 2010 for his senior year. In November 2010, he signed a

National Letter of Intent The National Letter of Intent (NLI) is a document used to indicate a student athlete's commitment to participating in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) colleges and universities in the United States. The NCAA Eligibility Center manag ...

to play

at St. John's University. As a senior in 2010–11, Sampson averaged 15.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game, leading Brewster to a 31–3 record. He went on to be named to the All-NEPSAC first team. Following the 2010–11 season, Sampson was set to join the St. John's Red Storm in 2011–12 for his freshman season, but failed to qualify academically and was ineligible to attend college. Sampson subsequently returned to Brewster Academy for another season, and led Brewster to a prep national championship. In 2011–12, he averaged 18.5 points and 11.0 rebounds per game as he was named the NEPSAC AAA Player of the Year and Most Valuable Player of the National Prep Championship. In March 2012, Sampson recommitted to St. John's.

College career

In his freshman season at St. John's, Sampson was named the 2013 Big East Rookie of the Year, and was also named to the Big East All-Rookie team. In 33 games, he averaged 14.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.1 blocks in 31.5 minutes per game. In his sophomore season, he recorded 424 points and 202 rebounds, completing his Red Storm career with totals of 915 points and 420 rebounds. He was named to the 2013 Pre-season All-Big East second team. In 33 games, he averaged 12.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.0 blocks in 29.0 minutes per game. On March 24, 2014, Sampson announced his intentions to enter the 2014 NBA draft and forgo his final two years of college eligibility.

Professional career

Philadelphia 76ers (2014–2016)

After going undrafted in the

2014 NBA draft The 2014 NBA draft was held on June 26, 2014, at Barclays Center, Brooklyn. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. The ...

, Sampson joined the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...

for the

2014 NBA Summer League The 2014 NBA Summer League consists of two pro basketball leagues organized by the NBA and the Orlando Magic just after the 2014 NBA draft. Ten teams took part in the week-long summer league at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, from July 5 t ...

. On September 29, 2014, he signed with the 76ers. On November 21, 2014, he was assigned to the

Delaware 87ers Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey to its northeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state' ...

, the 76ers'

D-League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of the 2024–25 season, ...

affiliate. Three days later, he was recalled by the 76ers. On February 18, 2016, he was waived by the team.

Denver Nuggets (2016)

On February 22, 2016, Sampson signed with the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...

. The next day, he made his debut with the Nuggets in a 114–110 loss to the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Confere ...

, recording one rebound and one steal in fourteen minutes off the bench. On October 15, 2016, he was waived by the Nuggets.

Iowa Energy (2016–2017)

On October 21, 2016, Sampson signed with the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division of the ...

, but was waived the next day. Seven days later, he was acquired by the

Iowa Energy Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

of the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of the 2024–25 season, ...

as an affiliate player of the Grizzlies. On February 6, 2017, he was named in the Western Conference All-Star team for the 2017 NBA D-League All-Star Game.

Sacramento Kings (2017–2018)

On July 29, 2017, Sampson was signed to a

two-way contract A two-way contract is a professional sports contract that stipulates that an athlete's salary is dependent upon the league in which the athlete is assigned to play. This is opposed to a one-way contract that would pay the same salary regardless o ...

by the

of the NBA. Under the terms of the deal, for the 2017–18 season, he will have a one-year deal splitting time between the Kings and their G-League affiliate, the

Reno Bighorns Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada–California border. It is the county seat and most populous city of Washoe County. Sitting in the High Eastern Sierra foothills, in the Truckee River v ...

. On December 6, 2017, Sampson grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds in a loss to the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers, often referred to as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...

. Sampson played 35 games with the Bighorns and averaged 17.9 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.06 steals per game.

Windy City Bulls (2018)

On September 24, 2018, Sampson signed with the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

for training camp. He was waived by the Bulls on October 12, 2018. On October 20, 2018, the

Windy City Bulls The Windy City Bulls are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, and are affiliated with the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls play their home games at Now Arena, from Chicago. It became the thirte ...

announced that they had acquired the returning rights to Sampson Johnson and the No. 38 overall pick in the 2018 NBA G League Draft, Mike Amius from

Iowa Wolves The Iowa Wolves are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Des Moines, Iowa, and are affiliated with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Wolves play their home games at the Wells Fargo Arena and compete in the Western ...

for the returning rights to

Jarell Eddie Jarell Alexander Eddie (born October 30, 1991) is an American professional basketball player for Peristeri of the Greek Basketball League (GBL). He played college basketball for Virginia Tech before splitting the first four years of his professio ...

and Jaylen Johnson, and later on November 9, 2018, the

acquired Sampson.

Shandong Golden Stars (2018–2019)

On December 19, 2018,

Shandong Golden Stars Shandong Hi-Speed Kirin () is a Chinese professional basketball team based in Jinan, Shandong, competing in the Northern Division of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). Some of the team's home games are also held in the nearby city of Linyi. ...

of the

Chinese Basketball Association The Chinese Basketball Association (), often abbreviated as the CBA, is the first-tier men's professional basketball league in China. The league is commonly known by fans as the CBA, and this acronym is even used in Chinese on a regular basis ...

(CBA) was reported to have signed Sampson in replacing injured

Donatas Motiejūnas Donatas Motiejūnas (; born September 20, 1990) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for AS Monaco Basket of the French LNB Pro A and the EuroLeague. He was drafted 20th overall in the 2011 NBA draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves be ...

Second stint with Windy City Bulls (2019)

On January 29, 2019, the

re-acquired Sampson.

Chicago Bulls (2019)

On March 31, 2019, the

announced that they had signed Sampson to a 10-day contract. Over four games with the Bulls, Sampson averaged 20.0 points and 8.0 rebounds off the bench.

Shandong Heroes (2019)

On July 4, 2019, Sampson signed with the Shandong Heroes of the

(CBA).

Indiana Pacers (2019–2021)

On August 2, 2019, Sampson signed a 1-year deal worth $1,737,145 with the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

. On November 29, 2020, Sampson re-signed with the Pacers. On April 21, 2021, Sampson was suspended for one game without pay for headbutting

Patty Mills Patrick Sammie Mills (born 11 August 1988) is an Australian ( Kokatha and Dauareb-Meriam) professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Mills was born and raised in Canberra, and is ...

during an altercation between the Pacers and the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

Virtus Bologna (2021–2022)

On September 27, 2021, Sampson signed a 2-year deal with

Virtus Bologna Virtus Pallacanestro Bologna, known for sponsorship reasons as Virtus Segafredo Bologna, is an Italian professional basketball club based in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna. The club was founded in 1929, which makes it the oldest club in Italy and one ...

of the Italian

Lega Basket Serie A The Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) is a professional men's club (sport), club basketball list of basketball leagues, league that has been organised in Italy since 1920. Serie A is organised by Lega Basket, which is regulated by the Italian Basketball ...

(LBA); the team also plays in the EuroCup. After having ousted

Lietkabelis BC Lietkabelis (), commonly known as Lietkabelis Panevėžys, also known as 7bet-Lietkabelis for sponsorship reasons, is a Lithuanian professional basketball club based in Panevėžys, Lithuania, participating in the Lietuvos krepšinio lyga, Lit ...

Ulm Ulm () is the sixth-largest city of the southwestern German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with around 129,000 inhabitants, it is Germany's 60th-largest city. Ulm is located on the eastern edges of the Swabian Jura mountain range, on the up ...

and

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

in the first three rounds of the

playoffs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

, on 11 May 2022, Virtus defeated Frutti Extra Bursaspor by 80–67 at the Segafredo Arena, winning its first EuroCup and qualifying for the

EuroLeague The EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. The league is widely recognised as the top-tier and the most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league consists of 20 teams, of which 16 are given lon ...

after 14 years. However, despite having ended the regular season at the first place and having ousted 3–0 both

Pesaro Pesaro (; ) is a (municipality) in the Italy, Italian region of Marche, capital of the province of Pesaro and Urbino, on the Adriatic Sea. According to the 2011 census, its population was 95,011, making it the second most populous city in the ...

and

Tortona Tortona (; , ; ) is a ''comune'' of Piemonte, in the Province of Alessandria, Italy. Tortona is sited on the right bank of the Scrivia between the plain of Spinetta Marengo, Marengo and the foothills of the Ligurian Apennines. Its ''frazione'' of ...

in the first two rounds of playoffs, Virtus was defeated 4–2 in the national finals by

Olimpia Milano Pallacanestro Olimpia Milano, commonly known as Olimpia Milano or as EA7 Emporio Armani Milan after its title sponsor, is an LBA Italian professional basketball team, based in Milan, Italy. Its colors are white and red, and the team is sometimes ...

Liaoning Flying Leopards (2022–2023)

On September 23, 2022, Sampson signed with

Liaoning Flying Leopards The Liaoning Flying Leopards (), also known as the Liaoning Shenyang Sansheng Flying Leopard Club or Liaoning Bengang (), are a Chinese professional basketball team based in Hunnan District, Shenyang, Liaoning, which plays in the Northern Divisi ...

of the

(CBA).

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

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Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

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Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...

, 22 , , 6 , , 15.6 , , .543 , , .500 , , .625 , , 3.5 , , .4 , , .4 , , 1.0 , , 4.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, 4 , , 0 , , 31.8 , , .537 , , .357 , , .810 , , 8.0 , , 1.0 , , 1.0 , , .8 , , 20.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

, 34 , , 12 , , 13.9 , , .591 , , .154 , , .667 , , 2.6 , , .6 , , .5 , , .4 , , 4.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 29 , , 4 , , 10.9 , , .496 , , .200 , , .655 , , 2.7 , , .1 , , .1 , , .5 , , 4.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 236 , , 94 , , 15.0 , , .471 , , .248 , , .670 , , 2.7 , , .7 , , .4 , , .5 , , 5.2

Playoffs

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College

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Personal life

Sampson is the son of Dawnette Epps and Darrel Sampson, and has two brothers, D. J. and Justin. Through his college career, the

Akron Akron () is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the fifth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 190,469 at the 2020 census. The Akron metropolitan area, covering Summit and Portage counties, had ...

native was nicknamed ''SpongeBob Sampson''.

References

External links

St. John's Red Storm bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sampson, JaKarr 1993 births Living people 21st-century African-American sportsmen American expatriate basketball people in China American men's basketball players Basketball players from Akron, Ohio Basketball players from Cleveland Brewster Academy alumni Chicago Bulls players Delaware 87ers players Denver Nuggets players Fort Wayne Mad Ants players Indiana Pacers players Iowa Energy players Philadelphia 76ers players Reno Bighorns players Sacramento Kings players Shandong Hi-Speed Kirin players Shooting guards Small forwards St. John's Red Storm men's basketball players St. Vincent–St. Mary High School alumni Undrafted NBA players Windy City Bulls players 21st-century American sportsmen Kuwait SC basketball players Virtus Bologna players Liaoning Flying Leopards players Beijing Royal Fighters players