Sampras, who also won in 1991, became the first two-time champion since the inception of the tour-ending event in 1990.
"This ends the year on a great, great note," Sampras said after his win Sunday.
The American collected $1.2 million for his victory over the German, who rose two spots to No. 3 in the rankings despite the loss. Sampras brought his 1994 earnings to $3,607,812.
He is the first player to rank No. 1 for the entire year since Ivan Lendl in 1987. He ended the year with a 74-11 record.
Sampras, 23, had lost to Becker in two sets in the round-robin portion of the tournament. He beat No. 2 Andre Agassi in the semifinals Saturday.
Sampras lost his serve only once Sunday, in the first set. Once he broke Becker in the second set, he took command of the match, even as 9,000 fans in the Festhalle cheered for his rival.
The German, who will be 27 on Tuesday, thundered 30 aces past Sampras, who only had 9. But Becker also had 12 double-faults, while Sampras had three in the two-hour, 39-minute match.
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In New York, Gabriela Sabatini's 2 1/2-year search for a title ended in triumph with one of the biggest: the Virginia Slims Championships.
Playing in her 44th tournament since last winning a final, the Argentine, who ended Martina Navratilova's career with a first-round win, overcame her own double-faults and a mistake-prone Lindsay Davenport on Sunday, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4, at Madison Square Garden.
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