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 (appr ...

player for

Liaoning Flying Leopards The Liaoning Flying Leopards (), also known as the Liaoning Shenyang Sansheng Flying Leopard Club or Liaoning Bengang (simplified Chinese: 辽宁本钢), are a Chinese professional basketball team based in Hunnan District, Shenyang, Liaoning, whi ...

of the

Chinese Basketball Association The Chinese Basketball Association (), often abbreviated as the CBA, is the first-tier professional men's 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). He played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for the St. John's Red Storm. 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 ) , established = , type = Independent boarding school , gender = Co-educational , head_name = Head of School , head = Kristy Kerin , chair_label = Chair of Trustees , chair = R C Ballentine Esq , city = ...

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 the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County, Ohio, Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 C ...

from 2007 to 2010, before transferring to

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

National Letter of Intent National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

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 the Barclays Center, Brooklyn National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. ...

, Sampson joined the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known 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 league's Eas ...

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 region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

, the 76ers'

D-League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA De ...

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 league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

. 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 Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

, 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 league's Western Conference ...

, 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 Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wiscon ...

of the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official List of developmental and minor sports leagues, minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development ...

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 of ...

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, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the ...

. 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 league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

. 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 league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January 1 ...

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 right 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 AYOS Konyaspor of the Turkish Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL). He played college basketball for Virginia Tech before splitting the first four years of hi ...

and

Jaylen Johnson Jaylen Johnson (born August 7, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the Motor City Cruise of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the University of Louisville from 2014 to 2017. High school career Johnson wrapped ...

, 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, which plays in the Northern Division of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). Some home games are held in the nearby city of Linyi. The Hi-Speed Gr ...

of the

(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 LNB Pro A and the EuroLeague. He was drafted 20th overall in the 2011 NBA draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves before going on ...

Second stint with Windy City Bulls (2019–present)

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 league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first esta ...

. 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 Sammy Mills (born 11 August 1988) is an Australian professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Mills was born and raised in Canberra, and is of Torres Strait Islander and Aborigin ...

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 league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Southwest Division ( ...

Virtus Bologna (2021–present)

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 basketball league that has been organised in Italy since 1920. Serie A is organised by Lega Basket, which is regulated by the Italian Basketball Federation (FIP). It is the highest-tier le ...

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

Ulm Ulm () is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Danube on the border with Bavaria. The city, which has an estimated population of more than 126,000 (2018), forms an urban district of its own (german: link=no, ...

and

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...

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

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

and

Tortona Tortona (; pms, Torton-a , ; lat, Dhertona) 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 Marengo and the foothills of the Ligurian Apennines. History ...

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 ...

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

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, 47 , , 18 , , 14.7 , , .426 , , .176 , , .639 , , 2.7 , , .6 , , .2 , , .3 , , 5.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, 26 , , 22 , , 18.0 , , .470 , , .276 , , .720 , , 2.3 , , .6 , , .5 , , .7 , , 5.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

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

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 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 in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th 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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, 4 , , 0 , , 12.5 , , .625 , , – , , – , , 3.3 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , .0 , , 5.0

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2012–13 , style="text-align:left;", St. John's , 33 , , 33 , , 31.5 , , .449 , , .000 , , .640 , , 6.6 , , 1.1 , , 1.1 , , 1.1 , , 14.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2013–14 , style="text-align:left;", St. John's , 33 , , 32 , , 29.0 , , .495 , , .200 , , .565 , , 6.1 , , 1.2 , , 0.6 , , 1.0 , , 12.8

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 the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 Census, the city prop ...

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 sportspeople African-American basketball players 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 National Basketball Association players Windy City Bulls players