Brandon Sampson
Brandon Sampson | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 1, 1997 United States |
| Occupation | Professional basketball player |
| Years active | 2018–present |
| Known for | Playing for Ottawa Blackjacks in the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) |
Brandon Sampson (born May 1, 1997) is a professional basketball athlete from the United States currently competing for the Ottawa Blackjacks in the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL). He played collegiate basketball at Louisiana State University (LSU).
High school career
During his senior year at Madison Preparatory Academy, Sampson was honored as Louisiana Mr. Basketball in 2015, averaging 15.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per contest while leading his squad to a state title. Originally, he committed to coach Steve Lavin at St. John's, but reopened his recruitment following Lavin's dismissal in 2015 and ultimately chose to join his hometown team at LSU.
College career
Sampson joined a distinguished LSU recruiting group under coach Johnny Jones, which included future NBA talents Ben Simmons and Antonio Blakeney. His freshman season was marked by irregular playing time and team struggles; however, he established more stability as a sophomore during the 2016–17 season, posting averages of 11.6 points and 3.1 rebounds in 27.5 minutes per game, primarily as a starter.
In his junior year, Sampson endured a significant ankle sprain that kept him sidelined for approximately one month, which affected his performance consistency upon return. That season, he averaged 7.7 points in 18.9 minutes per game.
Professional career
After not being selected in the 2018 NBA draft, Sampson participated in the 2018 NBA Summer League with the Atlanta Hawks. Subsequently, he inked an Exhibit 10 deal with the Houston Rockets and was assigned to their G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, where he averaged 17.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.9 assists over 18 appearances.
On December 27, 2018, Sampson secured a two-way contract with the Chicago Bulls, dividing his time between the NBA squad and their G League affiliate, the Windy City Bulls. In his debut for Windy City, he tallied 17 points along with 5 assists. Sampson made his NBA debut on January 30, 2019, contributing 5 points and 2 rebounds in a victory against the Miami Heat.
He returned to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers for the 2019–20 campaign, achieving a season-best of 27 points on January 13, 2020. Across 42 games that season, he averaged 13.2 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.2 assists.
During the shortened 2020–21 season impacted by the pandemic, Sampson appeared in six games for the Delaware Blue Coats. On October 26, 2021, he was traded to the Iowa Wolves, where he posted averages of 14.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.0 assists over 30 games.
On April 12, 2022, Sampson signed with the Newfoundland Growlers competing in the CEBL.
Return to Iowa (2022–2023)
Sampson was included on the opening night roster for the Iowa Wolves on November 2, 2022.
Wisconsin Herd (2023)
On February 24, 2023, he was traded to the Wisconsin Herd.
Hapoel Be'er Sheva (2023)
On August 5, 2023, Sampson agreed to terms with Hapoel Be'er Sheva, competing in Israel's top-tier league, the Ligat HaAl.
Regular season
|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Chicago | 14 || 2 || 15.3 || .467 || .379 || .667 || 1.1 || 0.7 || 0.6 || 0.2 || 5.1 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Overall | 14 || 2 || 15.3 || .467 || .379 || .667 || 1.1 || 0.7 || 0.6 || 0.2 || 5.1