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Sam Perkins was the fourth overall pick in the famed 1984 NBA draft. Perkins was a teammate of Michael Jordan, the third pick of that year, at the University of North Carolina and the 1984 United States Olympic team.
MJ and Perkins teamed up at UNC for three seasons, winning the 1982 NCAA championship. The 6-foot-9 big man was one of the first stretch fours in basketball and was known for his smooth left-handed jump shot. He even earned nicknames like "Sleepy Sam" and "Big Smooth."
Perkins and Jordan also won gold medals at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. While Jordan was with the Bulls, Perkins played for the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks missed the playoffs just once during Perkins' tenure there from 1984 to 1990.
Sam Perkins entered free agency in the 1990 offseason and signed with the LA Lakers. Perkins was the Lakers' starting center for most of the season and playoffs, helping Magic Johnson and James Worthy reach another NBA Finals.
However, Perkins faced off against a familiar face in his first NBA Finals appearance. The Lakers were against the up-and-coming Chicago Bulls led by Michael Jordan, who was ready to take the mantle as the best player in the world.
Jordan and the Bulls easily dispatched the Lakers in five games to win their first NBA championship. Perkins was in Los Angeles for the next two seasons, but the retirement of Magic meant that the Lakers failed to make the playoffs in 1992 and 1993.
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Sam Perkins faced off with Michael Jordan again in NBA Finals
The Seattle SuperSonics acquired Sam Perkins from the LA Lakers midway through the 1992-93 NBA season. Perkins primarily came off the bench during his time in Seattle but still averaged double-digit points in five of his six seasons there.
With Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp and Perkins, the Sonics reached the 1996 NBA Finals against Michael Jordan and the 72-win Chicago Bulls. The Sonics were the underdogs but pushed the Bulls to a sixth game.
Jordan led the Bulls to their fourth NBA championship that year, adding two more in the next two seasons.
The Indiana Pacers signed Perkins as a free agent in 1998, serving as the primary backup center.
He lasted three seasons in Indiana before retiring from the NBA in 2001. He reached his third NBA Finals in 2000 but lost to his former team, the Lakers.
