The Sacramento Kings released veteran center Ralph Sampson Thursday, buying out the remaining two years of his $2 million contract.
The Kings refused to issue the terms of the buyout. Sampson now becomes a free agent.Sampson, 31, was extremely pleased with the deal, and said he hopes to sign on with another team as a player or coach.
Sampson, a former All-Star, played in just 25 games last year, starting only four. He was sidelined last February with a foot injury and didn't play the rest of the season. Overall, in his two years with the Kings, he played in 57 total games. He was acquired by the Kings in September 1989 from the Golden State Warriors in exchange for Jim Petersen.
Sampson, a three-time college player of the year at the University of Virginia, won the MVP award of the 1985 All-Star game as a member of the Houston Rockets. But injuries soon took their toll, as he underwent three operations on his knee from 1987-88.