Fansided

The NBA sidekick Hall of Fame

By Bryan Harvey

Lakers' (l to r) Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Kobe Bryant and Shannon Brown during the game. LA Lakers vs San Antonio Spurs at Staples Center on Apr. 12, 2011. (Photo by Lawrence K. Ho/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Lakers' (l to r) Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Kobe Bryant and Shannon Brown during the game. LA Lakers vs San Antonio Spurs at Staples Center on Apr. 12, 2011. (Photo by Lawrence K. Ho/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) /
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Mandatory Credit: Brian Bahr /Allsport /

Sam Perkins

Sam Perkins played 18 years in the NBA. He played for four different franchises, averaging 14.4 points per game in Dallas, 14.6 per game in Los Angeles, 11.1 per game in Seattle, and 5.3 per game in Indianapolis.

Three of those teams reached the NBA Finals with him on the roster, playing significant minutes. The team that did not make the Finals lost a seven-game Western Conference Finals series against the Showtime Lakers in 1988.

In essence, the Big Smooth could play alongside anyone, from Mark Aguirre to Magic Johnson to Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton. Heck, in college at Chapel Hill, his sequoia branch arms held up the canopy for James Worthy and Michael Jordan to swoop and soar under.

His game never stood out much as it blended into the natural environs, and a team could have done a lot worse than having him as its fourth or fifth or even third option — a heckuva lot worse. Sometimes, the best sidekick is the player who needs no maintenance, no pruning or preening. Of note, only Karl Malone and John Stockton have more NBA playoff wins without a title than Sam Perkins.

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