Emanuel Sharp’s path from Houston to the NBA came with the kind of steady climb Kelvin Sampson loves to point to.
Sharp spent all five of his seasons at Houston and left as the program’s all-time leading 3-point scorer. Now he’s headed to Sacramento after the Kings took him 45th overall, a move that gives the 6-foot-3 guard a chance to step in right away as a 3-and-D option.
Sharp’s game was built on volume and reliability. He shot 38 percent from three over his college career, averaged almost 16 points per game as a senior, and helped push Houston all the way to the national championship in 2025. Just as important for the Cougars, he became one of Sampson’s favorite players because of the way he carried himself in the program - the work, the leadership, the defense, all of it.
On a recent Zoom press conference, Sampson said Sharp fit exactly what Sacramento was looking for.
"Emanuel specifically was a great story and I'm glad Sacramento drafted him because they were really interested in him. They called multiple times.
I think one of the things Sacramento wanted was to get tougher. Have a guy come off the bench that could go in and be dependable, but also can make shots," Sampson said.
Kings general manager Scott Perry, a friend of Sampson’s, also reached out specifically about Sharp. Sampson sees the fit clearly.
"Emanuel's the epitome of a two-way player...Kudos to Emanuel for working on his game. He wasn't a very good defender when he got here, but now he's got NBA teams recognizing him as a good defender and that makes me feel good," Sampson said.
Sharp’s rise wasn’t smooth. He had to recover from a severe knee injury at the end of high school, then arrived at Houston in 2021 during the coronavirus pandemic and graduated early. He redshirted his first year, came off the bench in his second, and by the time he reached his redshirt sophomore season, he had become a key starter for the Cougars.
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