Wayne B. Sappleton (born November 17, 1960) is a Jamaican 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, formerly of the
NBA
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 ...
's
New Jersey Nets
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995
* "New" (Daya song), 2017
* "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...
. A 6'9 forward, Sappleton was a star at
Loyola University Chicago
Loyola University Chicago (Loyola or LUC) is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1870 by the Society of Jesus, Loyola is one of the largest Catholic Church, ...
from 1978 to 1982.
Collegiate career
Sappleton grew up in
Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long spit (landform), sand spit which connects the town of Por ...
where he attended Ardenne High School.
He eventually moved to the U.S. to play for the
Loyola Ramblers
The Loyola Ramblers (also called the Loyola Chicago Ramblers) are the varsity sports teams of Loyola University Chicago. Most teams compete in the Atlantic 10 Conference, which the school joined in 2022 after leaving the Missouri Valley Confere ...
from 1978 to 1982 and was the
Midwestern City Conference (now the Horizon League)
Player of the Year
Several sports leagues honour their best player with an award called Player of the Year. In the United States, this type of award is usually called a Most Valuable Player award.
Association football
In association football, this award is held on b ...
in 1982. While at Loyola, Sappleton twice finished second in the
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...
in rebounding, in 1981 and 1982.
Professional career
After completing his collegiate eligibility, Sappleton was drafted by the
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...
in the 2nd round (38th pick overall) in the
1982 NBA draft
The 1982 NBA draft took place on June 29, 1982, at the Felt Forum at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York.
The #1 selection from this year's draft, James Worthy, was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers despite them being one of the ...
, but his rights were traded to the New Jersey Nets. After a stop in Italy, Sappleton played in 33 games over the
1984-85 season. Sappleton averaged 2.9 points and 2.3 rebounds per game over his NBA career.
After the NBA, Sappleton played basketball for several more clubs in Italy.
References
External links
NBA and College stats
1960 births
Living people
20th-century Jamaican sportsmen
Golden State Warriors draft picks
Jamaican expatriate basketball people in Italy
Jamaican expatriate basketball people in Spain
Jamaican expatriate basketball people in the United States
Jamaican men's basketball players
Liga ACB players
Loyola Ramblers men's basketball players
NBA players from Jamaica
New Jersey Nets players
Power forwards
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