Victor Wembanyama & Ralph Sampson: the "Next Level" Giants!

Standing at 7'4", Victor Wembanyama, a phenomenon in the making, has captured the basketball world's attention with his incredible talent, versatility, and agility that defy his towering height. Similarly, Ralph Sampson, the original NBA unicorn, dominated the 1980s with his unique combination of height, speed, and skill, paving the way for a new breed of basketball players.
Written by Titan Frey and produced by Oldskoolbball (Tarik Arslan)
Editing program I use: Premiere Pro CC
Music: Epidemic Sound
share.epidemic... (you can use my referral link)
Thank you for the footage: spurs, Javier BF, 70s Fan, Ryan Van Dusen, Lamarmatic.

[@T.H.E.O.R.Y.]

Fun wrap around fact: David Robinson wore #50 in honor of his inspirational forerunner and fellow Virginian, Ralph Sampson.

[@courylanders4142]

People weren't ready for Sampson. He was considered soft. His style was like Victors and the Greek freak. But in the 80s, if you were over 7 foot, you were expected to be on the block. If not, you were labeled soft.

[@stanleyrogouski]

He was anything but soft in those series with the Lakers and Celtics. He was ready to stand up and play Celtic style thug ball toe to toe with Bird, McHale and Parish. He and Hakeem bullied the Lakers.

[@randycooper3428]

LOVE the video!!! A lot if people now days don't even know Sampson and it's a shame!

[@leoleoleo688]

The problem with Ralph Sampson is that he was too ahead of his time...

[@BoosterGoldEarth6]

Or injuries

[@cashflodigitalsportsnetwork]

@@BoosterGoldEarth6both…

[@Oldskoolbball]

I watched a lot of Victor Wembanyama videos to make this video, YOU CAN'T STOP THIS DUDE lol

[@Anthonydu01630]

Ralph Sampson wasn’t even 7’4, he was 7’2 like Kareem, wich is still super tall, but they lied about his height, Mark Eaton was a true 7’4 and he said Ralph was shorter than him, and Ralph played against 7’3 Aryvdas Sabonis and he looked smaller than him too .. So we have never seen a guy like Wemby, the closest are Porzingis, Ralph Sampson, Chet or Bol Bol

[@Anthonydu01630]

Look at his photos or videos next to Kareem, Ralph was 7’2 like him

[@Anthonydu01630]

Look he is barely taller than Hakeem and Hakeem was 6’10, 6’11 at best like AD or Giannis

[@danimalman3]

To put ralph sampsons career into today's perspective it would be like Wemby getting rookie of the year, the spurs drafting another all time talent at #1 in the 2024 draft and then making the finals in 2025 while beating the nuggets or some other team.

[@jabedon]

1983+1984 n°1 draft was just a cheat code to win the league

[@Madvillainy48]

People really don't know that Sampson was doing everything Wemby is doing right now 40 years ago. Only difference is that Ralph was actually built. I just pray Wemby doesn't get the same health issues with modern health tech at hand.

[@Calmlysmoke420]

7' 4" shouldn't be doing Euros. Get in the weight room 💪 get your big ass down in the block. He wants to be a guard so bad kinda sucks

[@SG99_]

@@Calmlysmoke420 ur boring shutup

[@noahamankwaah9802]

​@@Calmlysmoke420How about not forcing modern players into a box? The game has evolved past those outdated beliefs. If you want to see big statues camping in the paint, stick to the 80s.

[@duarraltd9118]

Sampson wasn't as tall as he was listed. He was actually just as tall as kareem, and wemby is taller than kareem kzbin.info/www/bejne/j5DOXohsiNyFotEsi=x4U4ktPQF6CxnnAm

[@Calmlysmoke420]

@@noahamankwaah9802 sorry this isn't Space Jam.

[@MemoTea]

Except in the 80's they actually played real defense with hand-checking and fouls that would be considered flagrants today.

[@55bolts]

Amen!!!!!!!!

[@L_Sivad]

My number one all time favorite ball player.

[@nicholasblakiston6297]

Awesome insight on Sampson, I never knew about him.

[@RodneyDavis]

You're not to blame. All these KZbinrs forgot about the "Twin-Towers." when they say he does stuff they've never seen before. Sampson had college games to look at too, so there was almost as much hype around his debut as there was for the great Abdul-Jabaar.

[@chewy98ta28]

Somebody should take a look at Sampson's passport and see if he was in France 20 years ago.

[@FrancisNganou-j8b]

They say the game doesn’t change there’s just some new players in it

[@nickyear-w7749]

Bol Bol can do the same as well

[@senolylmaz5097]

Wemby looks like Ralph Sampson.... The play prospects are tthe same as each other.... If Sampson was healty He would been top ten player since the beginning of the NBA...

[@rileysmith117]

I hope wemby doesn't get injuries. Sampson had injuries that he never truly recovered from.

[@55bolts]

Wow! I love this video. First time I saw Wembanyama was in a Spurs game this season. My first thought was "This guy looks like Ralph Sampson." So I'm not alone in this thought. At this point Sampson blew doors off of Webanyama. The only reason Wembanyama does pretty good inside is because you don't have the traditional centers anymore. Anthony Davis maybe the closest thing to that. Sampson didn't have that luxury. I wish the best for Wembanyama but that tall and moving like that will most likely do him in with in the next 5 to 8 years.

[@mcclendonreport]

It's a whole new era.

[@moneycarlo6166]

The thumbnail they Look like father and son….look at they’re facial features

[@srt_keith]

Ralph Sampson was more aggressive that’s the difference

[@elohim77]

I was a twin towers die hard fan as a kid but i think Sampson wasnt really 7'4, i'd say 7'1/2. U can tell Wemby is a legit 7'4

[@mathidonidopitroutchini5140]

Sampson wasn't 7.4

[@Sean_78]

Neither is Wembanyama

[@reueljacques]

Fingers 🤞!!!

[@jamessullenriot]

Seeing the Sours history of #1 picks then me sitting here as a Raptors fan with our one shot at the #1 pick --> Andrea Bargnani😂

[@TAPATIOPLEASE]

Bad management

[@elcochino8139]

Jey y'all got Kawhi for a season

[@ayosgsauce]

did he just do a Euro step from the Three point line? wtf?

[@Oldskoolbball]

Cheat code 😂

[@joereyna1116]

I've been a $pur$ fan since 78.ralph Sampson would tap out against WEMBY.

[@jamesjenkins400]

I disagree

[@erics9754]

Just like Wilt injured his Knee he was 7ft 3 in shoes.

[@cyber6sapien]

There is a ZERO percent chance that Sampson and Victor are/were the same height. Sampson was shorter than Kareem, and was probably 7'1" max. Victor is the first and only NBA player to do what he does on the court at his size.

[@Oldskoolbball]

7-foot-4 both in bballref

[@leeolie3728]

He is a weird one. Some pictures he looks slightly taller than Kareem and on the same day will look shorter. Its like he hunkers down in some photos. Probably around 7’2 or 7’3 at his tallest

[@cyber6sapien]

ZERO percent chance he's that tall. The variation in height shouldn't exist if he were actually that tall. 7'1" MAX. @@leeolie3728

[@cyber6sapien]

The NBA literally just started reporting on accurate player height measurements three or so years ago. Sampson retired decades ago. What are the odds that he was actually 7'4"? At 7'4 he would be towering over Kareem. But in all the pictures I could see were he is next to Kareem, he looks around the same height, if not shorter.@@Oldskoolbball

[@redhorse6652]

Kareem was probably 7'3 in shoes with very long arms and hands. Ralph was muscular but had knee problems since college. Wemby's trainers are going with the Kareem Dirk Novinski stretching program. Rather than the weight training pioneered by Wilt Chamberlain. Which didn't really help Ralph much. Just go with your body type in sports or anything else.

[@rickydanielson7953]

ralph sampson is 7'2 max

[@warwickbromley4809]

Look at a picture of Sampson next to 7’0’ Olajuwon. Then look at a picture of Wemby next to 7’1 David Robinson. There’s no way Sampson and Wemby are even that close!

[@JohnnyRodgers3]

Look at Ralph Sampson next to Kareem...Kareem is 7ft4 same height as Ralph Sampson...wilt is 7ft3 and hakeem is 6ft11 in shoes

[@Loyal2.RickOwensWayne]

@@JohnnyRodgers3Kareem is not 7’4

[@JohnnyRodgers3]

@@Loyal2.RickOwensWayne look it up...Kareem is 7ft2 1/2 barefoot

[@warwickbromley4809]

@@JohnnyRodgers3Kareem is 7’2. But the eye test is the main thing for me- Wemby pretty much lands before he’s let go of the hoop whereas Sampson didn’t quite have that length in spite of his official measurements saying he did. Samson was a hell of an athlete though.

[@JohnnyRodgers3]

@@warwickbromley4809 Kareem was 7ft2 bare foot...Wemby is 7ft3 barefoot...wilt is 7ft1 barefoot...Shaq admitted he was about the 6ft11 barefoot...bill Russell, Dwight Howard and hakeem were around the same barefoot height etc...in shoes Kareem is 7ft4

[@shawshank5781]

So Wemby IS NOT THE FIRST.

[@MrPriest24]

Wemby ain't really mean yet!

[@alamoba7710]

Ralph Sampson is 7'2 not 7'4 just look at the photo of him next to Kareem who's almost the same height as him

[@bryantharris5914]

Kareem was listed at 7'2".

[@shirleyconnelly9946]

Ralph Sampson was really like Kareem.Victor was a selfish player in Europe and.he doesn't really pass the ball

[@horacespencer3249]

I've been saying this from day one, he's nothing new Ralph Sampson was Victor 1.0 the game has changed if Sampson was always to shoot 4s his career may have been a lot longer

[@Oldskoolbball]

Yeah, but some people disagree and I dunno why.

[@michaelhelms5899]

Good find I just saw a picture with him today and now saw this 🫡 the nba has already had incredible and tall players 💯

[@thermaldetinatorsonly8857]

Wembanayama is going to be a mo Bamba type player

[@Oldskoolbball]

I hope he can be great so we can watch some Spurs basketball

sorry, but, Victor is already better than Sampson ever was....

[@Doknot-tb9ey]

No the hell he's not.

[@wadeharris348]

Similar types of playing for two players over 7”3.

[@cedric7936]

Sampson? Far from Wemby legend

[@boricuasexy07]

I need that instrumental in the beginning 😮

[@Oldskoolbball]

It’s Epidemic Sound, you can look at my description

[@gavinschuette9826]

1:40 offensive foul lol NBA died 1989 now just farce

[@Oldskoolbball]

haha, you're right man. I miss the real NBA too

[@walibashir102]

Awesome video!!! I saw Ralph in his heyday & Victor in some ways is Ralph 2.0. If Victor stays healthy he can be the best player in the 🌎 one day & win multiple 🏆🏆🏆.

[@darylallen8946]

I got rockets tickets for my 14th birthday in 1985. I went to the summit to see Olajuwon and left with an autographed Ralph Sampson poster. He was crazy talented. Thanks for the video!

[@TheIcemanthomas]

Imagine if guys like Kareem, wilt, Ralph, russel, kg, Hakeem, David Robinson, dirk, shaq, etc we’re allowed to do as much as these bigs do today.

[@stuarth4296]

Wilt actually had so many triple doubles it drawfs anything the Joker has done (and Joker is great), but at the time the NBA did not keep official stats for blocked shots, only the teams did. So we know from the teams Wilt was on he avg'd 8 blocked shots a game, and many, many times had 10 or more to go with his double digit points and rebounds. It was not until later in Wilt's career when he decided to pass the ball and rebound almost exclusively that he got his "official" triple doubles through his assists, including the year he led the NBA in assists. He is still the only center to do that (Joker has avg'd more assists per game but never led the NBA), and still is the All Time rebound leader. If he wanted to, he could have put the scoring record so far away no one could touch in in only his 13 years, and he said so often.

[@elvispresley5921]

Sampson was more athletically gifted but Victor is much more coordinated. imho

[@linkercasas1004]

This comparison reveals the differing impacts of each player: Sampson was more efficient offensively in the context of his era, while Wembanyama, despite lower shooting percentages, contributed significantly through defense and versatility in a more three-point-oriented era. Ralph Sampson (1983-84 Rookie Season): Points per game: 21.0 Rebounds per game: 11.1 Blocks per game: 2.4 Assists per game: 2.0 Field Goal %: 52.3% (relative impact: 107%, indicating 7% more effective than average) Three-Point %: 0.0% (relative impact: 0%, reflecting minimal usage of the three-point shot) Victor Wembanyama (2023-24 Rookie Season): Points per game: 19.3 Rebounds per game: 10.9 Blocks per game: 3.3 Assists per game: 2.4 Field Goal %: 43.2% (relative impact: 92.5%, indicating 7.5% less effective than average) Three-Point %: 27.9% (relative impact: 76%, about 24% less effective than average) Comparison Offensive Efficiency: Sampson was significantly more effective than other players in scoring efficiency, particularly inside the paint, reflecting big men's playing style and offensive strategies during the early 1980s. Wembanyama, on the other hand, scores slightly less efficiently in a modern NBA, where perimeter shooting and spacing are emphasized, even for players of his size. Defensive Presence & Rebounding: Both players showcased impressive defensive capabilities. However, Wembanyama's 3.3 blocks per game at a higher relative impact to league averages highlight his exceptional defensive prowess and ability to influence the game on that end of the floor. Both players had significant impacts on rebounding, with their averages far exceeding the league norms of their respective eras, highlighting their effectiveness as dominant big men in rookkie years. Versatility: While Sampson did not utilize the three-point shot, less critical during his era, Wembanyama's attempts reflect the game's evolution, where big men are expected to stretch the floor. Despite being below average in 3P%, his willingness and capability to shoot from a distance add a valuable dimension to his game.

[@dreamchaser4822]

Ralph Sampson 7’4” and Wembanyama the same height is a joke. Only in basketball in America (and maybe also Canada) are heights measured with shoes and then round up or down 🤣 Poor standards, or just lies.

[@HaitianLevi1804]

Great comparisons

[@linkercasas1004]

He's gonna look good in Purple & Gold sometime within the next 10 years! 😎

[@shirleyconnelly9946]

I wonder how Ralph Sampson vs Shaq

[@raywilliams4387]

You can't compare today's game to yesterday's

[@AlainPierrelouis-lu2hh]

You wonder how many Victoria secret victor wembanyama going to receive after each game. The boy is intelligent and handsome.

[@gigilmosiako]

Sampson reall 7'4?

[@ladegaming3889]

I have a question could Ralph Sampson shoot threes? 🤔

[@ladegaming3889]

The answer is no. Victor has the skill set of a two guard. 😂

[@Sean_78]

3 point shots were recently introduced during his time. Also, a center’s position wasn’t to shoot 3 point shots during a game. They shot them during practices but not within the system of televised competition. For example, there is an old video of Wilt Chamberlain sinking about 6 hook shots in a row on a friendly bet from the 3 point line during practice, however, the system of the game prevented him from doing during games.

[@samuelmorales2344]

Ralph Sampson was not 7'4". He was 7'1". He was barely taller than Kareem by an inch at most. I wish people would stop lying about height in a attempt to make people into a greater spectacle than they really are. Yes Wembenyama is a real 7'3" player.

[@ckobo84]

You're not making any sense, Kareem was a legit 7'2" , and Ralph was taller. From watching this video Wembyana clearly seems taller than Ralph. 7'3.5 flat footed is really tall, even if we went with the most conservative rounding off he's a legit 7'4" , old school at least 7'5". No one ever rounds down, you're the only person in the history of the world to do that, even rounding down there's no way you can turn Ralph into 7'1. He's at least 7'2.5" .

[@rohirrim49]

"This is a shame as Sampson could've gone down as a true GOAT competitor if he never got injured." Saying nonsense like this when he was already the 2nd best player on his own team by 1986, his 3rd year in the league. Hakeem Olajuwon (23), who was 2 years younger than Sampson (25), finished 4th in MVP voting and averaged 31/11/2/2/4 against the Magic/Kareem/Worthy Lakers in the WCF that year. Sampson got on ZERO MVP ballots and Charles Barkley, who was 22 at the time, made the All-NBA 2nd team ahead of him. He didn't make the All-Defensive teams either. People who actually watched him and his team didn't think he was *that* good. This happened before any of his injuries too. Please stop lying to people.

[@redhorse6652]

But Sampson was a legit 2nd option to Olajuwon. Which you need to get to the Finals.

[@patzpangilinan3291]

Sampson was very good, just in the wrong era. If he was in today's NBA, its rules, training program, spacing and advancements..... he would be on par with Wemby. In addition, the Rockets coach back then, Bill Fitch, hated the idea of a big man dribbling the ball up the court.

[@SurgeryBeatz]

Only took one fall for his career to decline. Be aggressive, and smart. That's all I can say. Ralph took one bad fall on his back and it was literally over.

[@jonathanclark6186]

Yea this ain't age well wemby is his own beast

[@gavinschuette9826]

cut all non game play please