Sam Perkins

Born in Brooklyn, New York,^[1] Perkins attended Samuel J. Tilden High School.^[2] He later attended and graduated from Shaker High School in Latham, New York.^[2][3] 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.^{[citation needed]}

Perkins attended college at the University of North Carolina and played basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels from 1980 to 1984.^[4] He was named ACC Rookie of the Year in 1981^[5] and starred alongside future NBA Hall of Famers James Worthy and Michael Jordan on the Tar Heels' 1982 NCAA championship team.^[5][6] A three-time All-American,^[5] Perkins was the 1984 USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year.^[4] 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.^[5] He graduated from UNC in 1984.^[7] Perkins was a co-captain of the gold medal-winning 1984 United States men's Olympic basketball team.^[8] He was named first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference three times in his Tar Heel career.^[9]

Chosen by the Dallas Mavericks as the fourth overall pick in the 1984 NBA draft,^[4] Perkins went on to play as a power forward and center in the NBA from 1984 to 2001.^[10] He was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 1985.^[11] Perkins played for the Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers, Seattle SuperSonics, and Indiana Pacers.^[12] He scored a career-high 45 points on April 12, 1990.^[13] Perkins tied an NBA record on January 15, 1997, by making eight three-pointers without a miss.^[14] He appeared in three NBA Finals: The 1991 NBA Finals (with the Lakers),^[15] the 1996 NBA Finals (with the SuperSonics),^[15] and the 2000 NBA Finals (with the Pacers).^[16] All 3 Finals were coincidentally lost against the same head coach in Phil Jackson. In game one of the 1991 NBA Finals, Perkins made a game-winning three-point shot to defeat the Chicago Bulls.^[1] He was known by the nicknames "Sleepy Sam", "Big Smooth",^[17][10] and "The Big Easy".^[1]

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.^[18]

In 2008, Perkins was named vice president of player relations for the Indiana Pacers.^[19] That September, he was inducted into the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame.^[20] Perkins held his position with the Pacers until 2010.^[21]

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.^[22]

Perkins was named to the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018.^[5]

Perkins runs a summer camp for Chapel Hill, North Carolina youth that focuses on developing the basic skills of basketball.^[23]

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.^[24]

• 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