July 31, 2017 marks the third time an NBA franchise decides to acquire former St. John’s basketball star, JaKarr Sampson, with a two-way contract with the Sacramento Kings. Sampson was able to impress the  Kings while playing with the team in the NBA Summer League.

Sampson previously played with the Iowa Energy, an NBA G-League (formerly known as the D-League) team that is the Minnesota Timberwolves affiliate. He was a G-League Western Conference All-Star this past season, as well, averaging 15.1 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. He averaged 7.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per contest in Las Vegas this past July.

The 2013 BIG EAST Rookie of the Year entered the professional ranks following his sophomore season. The Akron, Ohio native has played in 147 career NBA games, with 72 of which have been starts, with both the Nuggets and the 76ers. He is averaging 5.2 points and 2.4 rebounds per appearance.

Sampson was able to record 12.8 points and 6.1 rebounds per game for the Red Storm as a sophomore. This helped St. John’s secure a 20-13 record and the top seed in the Postseason NIT. Sampson was also the 2012 NEPSAC AAA Player of the Year at Brewster Academy and averaged 14.9 points and 6.6 boards per game as a freshman in 2012-13. He became the second-straight St. John’s player to win BIG EAST Rookie of the Year, following 2011-12 recipient, Moe Harkless.