Houston’s Forgotten Rookie of the Year and All Star MVP

Ralph Sampson entered the NBA as one of the most hyped prospects ever, drafted No. 1 overall by the Houston Rockets in 1983 after a legendary college career at Virginia. In his rookie year, he lived up to the billing, averaging 21.0 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 2.4 blocks per game, winning NBA Rookie of the Year and earning his first All-Star nod. At 7'4", with the mobility to handle the ball and run the floor, he became the first pillar of what would become the “Twin Towers” in Houston.​

The Rockets drafted Hakeem Olajuwon in 1984, and the Sampson–Olajuwon frontcourt immediately changed the franchise’s trajectory. In 1984–85, Sampson averaged a career-best 22.1 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 2.0 blocks, making the All-NBA Second Team and helping Houston win 48 games and return to the playoffs after a three-year drought. He and Olajuwon both made the 1985 All-Star Game, where Sampson dropped 24 points and 10 rebounds and was named All-Star Game MVP—one of the biggest honors of his career.​

Sampson’s peak Rockets moment came in the 1986 Western Conference Finals against the Lakers. In Game 5, he hit a spinning, off-balance game-winner at the buzzer to eliminate Showtime and send Houston to the NBA Finals. That season, he averaged 18.9 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in the regular season, then around 20 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 4.0 assists in the 1986 playoffs, proving he was more than just a complementary piece next to Olajuwon. Although the Rockets fell to Boston in the Finals, the Twin Towers era showed how dangerous Houston could be with Sampson at full strength.​

Unfortunately, knee and back injuries began to derail his career after 1986. By 1987–88, he was traded away, and his time as a Rocket effectively ended after four and a half seasons. Overall, in a Houston uniform from 1983 to 1987, Sampson averaged roughly 19–21 points, 10–11 rebounds, and around 3 assists per game at his peak, with four All-Star selections, Rookie of the Year, All-Star MVP, and an All-NBA Second Team spot on his résumé. He was later inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012, officially cementing his status as a Rockets and basketball legend.​

Nicknamed simply “Ralph” or “The Twin Towers’ first pillar” in Houston lore, Sampson’s combination of height, skill, and versatility anticipated the modern stretch big—decades before it became common. Though injuries shortened his prime, his time with the Rockets delivered a Rookie of the Year season, an All-Star MVP, a Finals run, and a preview of what a 7-foot-plus playmaking big could look like in today’s NBA.