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UVA Basketball alum Sam Hauser wins NBA title as Boston Celtics finish over Dallas Mavericks

Chris Graham
sam hauser uva basketball
Photo: UVA Athletics

UVA Basketball alum Sam Hauser is an NBA champion, after the Boston Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks, 106-88, on Monday.

Hauser had eight points in 17 minutes off the bench in the Game 5 win, shooting 3-of-7 from the field and 2-of-6 from three-point range.

In the five-game NBA Finals, Hauser averaged 8.2 points in 15.4 minutes per game, shooting 14-of-28 (50.0 percent) from the floor and 11-of-23 (47.8 percent) from three.

A third-year pro, Hauser averaged a career-high 9.0 points per game in the 2023-2024 season for the Celtics, shooting 44.6 percent from the field and 42.4 percent from three.

Not bad for a guy who was undrafted after his two years at Virginia, a redshirt season in 2019-2020 after transferring from Marquette, and then the COVID-restrictions-limited season in 2020-2021.

Hauser led that talented Virginia team in scoring – that year’s roster included future NBA players Trey Murphy III and Jay Huff – averaging 16.0 points per game, shooting 50.3 percent from the floor and 41.7 percent from three-point range.

In three seasons at Marquette, Hauser averaged 12.7 points per game, shooting 47.7 percent from the floor and 44.5 percent from three.

Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham, the king of "fringe media," is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019, and Team of Destiny: Inside Virginia Basketball’s Run to the 2019 National Championship, and The Worst Wrestling Pay-Per-View Ever, published in 2018. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, or subscribe to his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected].