Samuel Bruce Perkins (born June 14, 1961) is an American former 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 and executive. Perkins was a three-time college

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

, was a member of the 1982 national champion

North Carolina Tar Heels The North Carolina Tar Heels (also Carolina Tar Heels) are the college sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The name Tar Heel is a nickname used to refer to ...

, and won a gold medal with the

1984 United States men's Olympic basketball team Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

. Perkins played professionally in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA) for 17 seasons.

Early life

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Perkins attended

Samuel J. Tilden High School Samuel J. Tilden High School was a List of high schools in New York City, New York City public high school in the East Flatbush, Brooklyn, East Flatbush section of Brooklyn, New York City. It was named for Samuel J. Tilden, the former govern ...

. He later attended and graduated from

Shaker High School Shaker High School is a public high school in Latham, Albany County, New York, United States, and is the only high school operated by the North Colonie Central School District. It is part of the North Colonie Central Schools school district a ...

Latham, New York Latham is a Hamlet (New York), hamlet and census-designated place in Albany County, New York, Albany County, New York (state), New York, United States. It is located along U.S. Route 9 in New York, U.S. Route 9 in the Administrative divisions of ...

. He was named large-school player of the year (high school) by the

New York State Sportswriters Association The New York State Sportswriters Association (NYSSWA), founded in 1967, is a source of reference information and statistics about scholastic athletics in the state. Begun by sportswriters Larry Serrell of the Schenectady Daily Gazette and Chuck K ...

in 1980 and was also named to the 35 Greatest Boys McDonald's All Americans team.

College career

Perkins attended college at the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the Public university, public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referre ...

and played basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels from 1980 to 1984. He was named ACC Rookie of the Year in 1981 and starred alongside future NBA Hall of Famers

James Worthy James Ager Worthy (born February 27, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Big Game James", he played his entire professional career with the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Wor ...

and

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player, who is currently a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Ass ...

on the Tar Heels' 1982 NCAA championship team. A three-time All-American, Perkins was the 1984

USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year The USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year is an annual award issued by USA Basketball that honors the top American male basketball performer during the year's international competition. Kevin Durant won the award a record three times (2010, 201 ...

. 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. Perkins was a co-captain of the gold medal-winning

. He was named first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference three times in his Tar Heel career.

Professional career

Chosen by the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Divisi ...

as the fourth overall pick in the

1984 NBA draft The 1984 NBA draft was the 37th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It was held at the Felt Forum at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, on June 19, 1984, before the 1984–85 season. The draft is generally ...

, Perkins went on to play as a power forward and center in the NBA from 1984 to 2001. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 1985. Perkins played for the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

Seattle SuperSonics The Seattle SuperSonics (commonly shortened to Sonics) were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The SuperSonics competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Division (1967–1970), and ...

, and

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 ...

. He scored a career-high 45 points on April 12, 1990. Perkins tied an NBA record on January 15, 1997, by making eight three-pointers without a miss. He appeared in three NBA Finals: The

1991 NBA Finals The 1991 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 1990–91 season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. It was also the first NBA Finals broadcast by NBC after 17 years with CBS. The ...

(with the Lakers), the

1996 NBA Finals The 1996 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 1995–96 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference champion Seattle SuperSonics (64–18) played the Eastern ...

(with the SuperSonics), and the

2000 NBA Finals The 2000 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 1999–2000 season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Eastern Conferen ...

(with the Pacers). All 3 Finals were coincidentally lost against the same head coach in

Phil Jackson Philip Douglas Jackson (born September 17, 1945) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Jackson is a 13-time NBA champion, having won two as a player and 11 as ...

. In game one of the 1991 NBA Finals, Perkins made a game-winning three-point shot to defeat 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 ...

. He was known by the nicknames "Sleepy Sam", "Big Smooth", and "The Big Easy".

Post-retirement activities

In 2002, Perkins was named to the

ACC 50th Anniversary men's basketball team During the 2002–03 school year, the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) celebrated its 50th anniversary by selecting the top players in its respective sports. Fifty players were selected for the men's basketball team, which was voted on by a 120-memb ...

as one of the fifty greatest players in

Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the ACC's eighteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athlet ...

history. In 2008, Perkins was named vice president of player relations for the

. That September, he was inducted into the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame.Mallozzi, Vincent M
"City's Basketball Hall Welcomes 98-Year-Old Inductee"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', September 17, 2008. Accessed September 14, 2009. Perkins held his position with the Pacers until 2010. In 2011, Perkins traveled to

South Sudan South Sudan (), officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered on the north by Sudan; on the east by Ethiopia; on the south by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Kenya; and on the ...

as a

SportsUnited Formerly known as SportsUnited, Sports Diplomacy is the U.S. Department of State's sports diplomacy division. Sports Diplomacy uses sport to help youth around the world develop important off-the-court skills, including leadership, mutual understa ...

Sports Envoy for the

U.S. Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs o ...

. In this capacity, he worked with

Dikembe Mutombo Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo (June 25, 1966 – September 30, 2024) was a Congolese-American professional basketball player. He played 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "Mount 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. Perkins was named to the

National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame The National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Kansas City, Missouri, is a hall of fame and museum dedicated to men's college basketball. The museum is an integral portion of the College Basketball Experience created by the Nation ...

in 2018. Perkins runs a summer camp for

Chapel Hill, North Carolina Chapel Hill is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, Orange and Durham County, North Carolina, Durham counties, North Carolina, United States. Its population was 61,960 in the 2020 United States census, making Chapel Hill the List of municipa ...

youth that focuses on developing the basic skills of basketball.

Personal life

Perkins was raised a

Jehovah's Witness Jehovah's Witnesses is a Christian denomination that is an outgrowth of the Bible Student movement founded by Charles Taze Russell in the nineteenth century. The denomination is nontrinitarian, millenarian, and restorationist. Russell co- ...

. During his professional career, he stood away from his line of teammates for the national anthem due to his

faith Faith is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or concept. In the context of religion, faith is " belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". According to the Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, faith has multiple definitions, inc ...

. McCallum, Jack
"Oh Say Should We Sing?"
''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...

'', March 25, 1996, accessed October 21, 2016.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

, 82 , , 42 , , 28.3 , , .471 , , .250 , , .820 , , 7.4 , , 1.6 , , .8 , , .8 , , 11.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 80 , , 79 , , 32.8 , , .503 , , .333 , , .814 , , 8.6 , , 1.9 , , .9 , , 1.2 , , 15.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 80 , , 80 , , 33.6 , , .482 , , .352 , , .828 , , 7.7 , , 1.8 , , 1.4 , , 1.0 , , 14.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 75 , , 75 , , 33.3 , , .450 , , .167 , , .822 , , 8.0 , , 1.6 , , 1.0 , , .7 , , 14.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 78 , , 77 , , 36.7 , , .464 , , .184 , , .833 , , 8.8 , , 1.6 , , 1.0 , , 1.2 , , 15.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 76 , , 70 , , 35.1 , , .493 , , .214 , , .778 , , 7.5 , , 2.3 , , 1.2 , , .8 , , 15.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , 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;", , 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, , 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 Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

, 30 , , 13 , , 25.4 , , .511 , , .452 , , .795 , , 4.8 , , .9 , , .7 , , 1.0 , , 12.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 81 , , 41 , , 26.8 , , .438 , , .367 , , .801 , , 4.5 , , 1.4 , , .8 , , 4 , , 12.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , 37 , , 28.7 , , .466 , , .397 , , .799 , , 4.9 , , 1.6 , , .9 , , .5 , , 12.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 20 , , 26.5 , , .408 , , .355 , , .793 , , 4.5 , , 1.5 , , 1.0 , , .6 , , 11.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 81 , , 4 , , 24.4 , , .439 , , .395 , , .817 , , 3.7 , , 1.3 , , .9 , , .6 , , 11.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

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

, 48 , , 0 , , 16.4 , , .400 , , .389 , , .717 , , 2.9 , , .5 , , .3 , , .3 , , 5.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 81 , , 0 , , 20.0 , , .417 , , .408 , , .825 , , 3.6 , , .8 , , .4 , , .4 , , 6.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 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 NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern and Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league ...

. The only players with more playoff appearances and zero rings, as of the 2020 season, are

Hall of Famers A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...

and longtime

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Since the 1991–92 season, the ...

players

Karl Malone Karl Anthony Malone (born July 24, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Mailman", he is considered one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history. Malone spen ...

and

John Stockton John Houston Stockton (born March 26, 1962) is an American former professional basketball player. Regarded as one of the great point guards of all time, he spent his entire NBA career (1984–2003) with the Utah Jazz, and the team made the pla ...

. , - , style="text-align:left;",

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 4 , , 4 , , 42.3 , , .490 , , .250 , , .765 , , 12.8 , , 2.8 , , .5 , , .3 , , 18.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal en ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 10 , , 10 , , 34.7 , , .429 , , .250 , , .767 , , 8.3 , , 2.4 , , .9 , , 1.4 , , 14.9 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 4 , , 4 , , 17.0 , , .500 , , .000 , , .696 , , 8.5 , , 1.3 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , 17.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1988 1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the Morris worm, 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United State ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 17 , , 17 , , 33.6 , , .451 , , .143 , , .803 , , 6.6 , , 1.8 , , 1.5 , , 1.0 , , 13.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 3 , , 3 , , 39.3 , , .444 , , .000 , , .765 , , 7.3 , , 2.7 , , 1.0 , , .7 , , 15.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

, 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 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 19 , , 17 , , 32.9 , , .436 , , .380 , , .873 , , 7.0 , , 1.9 , , 1.0 , , 1.3 , , 14.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 5 , , 0 , , 28.2 , , .333 , , .429 , , .882 , , 7.2 , , .8 , , .8 , , .4 , , 9.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 4 , , 1 , , 35.3 , , .438 , , .455 , , 1.000 , , 7.8 , , 3.3 , , .8 , , 1.3 , , 13.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 21 , , 1 , , 31.1 , , .459 , , .368 , , .754 , , 4.3 , , 1.7 , , .7 , , .3 , , 12.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 12 , , 6 , , 28.3 , , .337 , , .311 , , .862 , , 4.4 , , 1.3 , , 1.0 , , 1.0 , , 8.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 10 , , 1 , , 21.0 , , .381 , , .417 , , .600 , , 3.2 , , 1.4 , , .3 , , .5 , , 5.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 13 , , 0 , , 11.2 , , .514 , , .458 , , .667 , , 1.9 , , .5 , , .0 , , .2 , , 4.1 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 23 , , 0 , , 18.1 , , .324 , , .348 , , .905 , , 3.2 , , .4 , , .2 , , .3 , , 4.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 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

NBA.com Player File

{{DEFAULTSORT:Perkins, Sam 1961 births Living people 20th-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen All-American college men's basketball players American Jehovah's Witnesses American men's basketball players Basketball players at the 1983 Pan American Games Basketball players at the 1984 Summer Olympics Basketball players from Brooklyn Centers (basketball) Dallas Mavericks draft picks Dallas Mavericks players Indiana Pacers players Los Angeles Lakers players McDonald's High School All-Americans Medalists at the 1983 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame inductees North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball players Olympic gold medalists for the United States in basketball Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in basketball Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Power forwards Samuel J. Tilden High School alumni Seattle SuperSonics players United States men's national basketball team players

Early life

College career

Professional career

Post-retirement activities

Personal life

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

See also

References

External links