1988-89 Fleer #49 Ralph Sampson
About Ralph Sampson
Few players arrived with more hype than "Stick" — the nickname a skinny 6-7 high school freshman named Ralph Sampson earned for his long, lean build, one that stayed with him even at 7-4. A three-time national Player of the Year at Virginia, he went first overall to Houston in the 1983 Draft and delivered instantly: 1983-84 Rookie of the Year, four straight All-Star trips (1984-87), All-NBA Second Team in 1985, and MVP of the 1985 All-Star Game, all while forming the Rockets' Twin Towers frontcourt with Hakeem Olajuwon. His twisting buzzer-beater in Game 5 of the 1986 Western Conference Finals stunned the Lakers and sent Houston to the Finals. Then his knees betrayed him, and a December 1987 trade for Joe Barry Carroll and Sleepy Floyd made him a Warrior — the uniform on this card, which is not a rookie card. Sampson closed with 7,039 points and 752 blocks across nine NBA seasons, and the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame called with the Class of 2012.
Sources: Wikipedia · Basketball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 1-6 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 360 | 157 | 149 | 37 | 9 | 8 | 0 |
| SGC | 13 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Snapshot 2026-08-18. Half grades fold down for both graders (8.5→8); PSA qualified slabs (OC, ST, PD, MC and the like) are not counted. The graders do not break out the stickers, so sticker pages carry no table.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1988-89 Fleer Ralph Sampson card?
It is card #49 of the 132-card 1988-89 Fleer Basketball base set, picturing Ralph Sampson with the Golden State Warriors.
How many cards are in the 1988-89 Fleer Basketball set?
132 base cards - 119 players ordered by team, the All-Star subset #120-131 and a checklist - plus the 11-card Super Star Sticker insert, for 143 cards in a master run. There are no variations; three backs carry uncorrected errors (#20, #26, #100).
Sources: Trading Card Database, Cardboard Connection, the PSA price guide, Basketball-Reference, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, PSA & SGC population reports. Card data compiled and maintained by T206Cards.com. Page last updated 2026-10-05.