Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, January 16, 1992 TAG: 9201160083
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: MADRID, SPAIN LENGTH: Medium
SAMPSON ADJUSTING TO SPAIN
Ralph Sampson said he hopes to play basketball in Spain "for many years." Don't believe it. The first player chosen in the 1983 NBA draft has one thing in mind - returning to the NBA."My goal is to come here and see what it's like, make some adjustments in my game, and play myself back into the NBA," said Sampson, who was released by the Washington Bullets after playing sparingly in only 10 games.
"I'm going to a league where I can get some time on the court. I'd play basketball on the moon if they had a system up there," the former University of Virginia All-American said by telephone from Malaga, where he has joined a weak Spanish first division team, Unicaja de Ronda.
In his Spanish debut last Saturday, the 7-foot-4 Sampson scored 10 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in 36 minutes as his team lost 75-62 to Pamesa of Valencia.
It was a so-so performance for his new club, which has billed him as the most famous American to play in a European basketball league.
"I received a good standing ovation, streams of kids - it was very positive and inspirational," Sampson said. "I wish I could have played better for myself and for them."
Sampson, 31, came to Spain to get out of the American basketball eye and to regain his confidence, stamina and shooting touch. The nine-year NBA veteran said he could have joined the Denver Nuggets or several other NBA teams, but came to Spain where a more relaxed schedule would allow him to play fewer games but more minutes.
The media in basketball-rabid Spain has been open-minded about Sampson's arrival, though one sports daily ran a long feature and called him the NBA's "most disappointing player" because he had failed to become the next Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
"I don't care what other people expect, there were always high expectations for Ralph Sampson," he said. "Coming here is not stepping down. I'm stepping forward. I'm still out to be the best 7-4 person and basketball player I can be."
Sampson said his delicate knees, operated on three times in the past four years, are better than reported.
"I'm healthy physically," said Sampson, who reportedly is earning $225,000 to complete the season in Spain.
"There was lots of speculation here - saying things like I could barely walk and had had 18 million knee operations. I think they were surprised I was as healthy as I was."
Getting adjusted hasn't been easy. His wife, Aleize, and two young children will be along later. And he said the Spanish custom of eating the day's main meal in the afternoon and another meal about 10 p.m. has been upsetting.
"I'm eating at odd times now, living in a hotel, dizzy from some of the types of food," he said. "It will be better when I'm in my own place."
Then there's the language barrier.
"You feel - not stupid - but different being around people who speak another language," he said. "But I will get a tutor and learn for sure. I want to know what's going on."