"I'm still trying to resolve what this means" - NBA legend Chris Webber still awestruck ahead of Hall of Fame induction (Exclusive)
Chris Webber, after a much-publicized career that began as a fab freshman at the University of Michigan, is now a member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, and as he is inducted, it's time to appreciate his basketball career. He averaged 20.7 points, 9.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game over 15 seasons with five teams, and had 22 triple-doubles. He was an elite passer and one of the best passing big men in NBA history.
As Chris Webber entered the Hall of Fame on 9/11, he gave me a few words about what it all means via phone:
"I'm still trying to resolve what this means because it's such an incredible honor. I do realize that it's not for one game or one season, but more for consistency, a body of work over time, perseverance. Things like that. I'm just honored. I'm just honored. This is a special moment I'm glad I can share with my family, friends and basketball fans -- especially those fans from Michigan and those that supported at the University of Michigan and those that supported me in Sacramento."
Chris Webber the one
I've been following Chris Webber since he landed on Michigan's campus in 1991. I'd been a fan of UM since I saw Anthony Carter streak down the field on a punt return for a touchdown wearing that classic #1 jersey, and have yelled Go Blue ever since. There was definitely no green in the Tillery household; definitely not any white, and as far as Brutus? The only Brutus we talked about was the one who always knew this...
Accomplishments
Chris Webber and the Fab Five went to two Final Fours and appeared in National Finals in both years at the University of Michigan. The 1st team All-American, and #1 pick overall in the 1993 NBA draft, Chris Webber was a five-time NBA All-Star, named to five-time All-NBA teams and won NBA Rookie of the Year. His versatile Sacramento Kings of the early 2000's challenged Kobe Bryant and Shaq's Los Angeles Lakers for Western Conference supremacy, yet fell just short of the NBA pinnacle in a 2002 classic Western Conference Finals that is still talked about for many reasons.
The climatic series vs. the Lakers, and especially the loss in Game 4 on Robert Horry's three from the top of the key, was Chris Webber's toughest loss as a pro. Another tough loss came when LeBron went off in the Eastern Conference Finals. In conversation, Webber tells me those losses affected him as much as the timeout he called at Michigan.
Questions
Unfortunately for the NBA, many fans think the referees had a hand in the Lakers winning that series and subsequently becoming a three-peat champion.
Game 6 is the focus.
What ifs are always a part of sport, yet in this instance, a legacy defining championship was at stake. Despite the questionable end of that series, and any real shot to win an NBA championship seemingly elusive, there became peace for Chris Webber.
Happy with no rings?
In an era defined by the number of championships won, is Chris Webber happy with his career? He says he is and thanks God for the opportunity. All he wanted growing up was to be drafted into the NBA, and yes, those Sacramento years he wanted to win it all, yet he's cool with how successful the Kings were, and overall happy with his playing days.
The Detroit Country Day high school years where Chris Webber was one of the most recruited athletes of all time, and further, the Michigan years became Chris Webber's proving ground. Being a spotlight player in every game in those years must have been something of a gift and a curse.
The gift
The December 14th, 1991 regular-season overtime loss to the defending champion Duke Blue Devils woke the basketball world to the next edition of what college basketball needed -- a shot of straight no chaser Blackness rebelling against the status quo -- even at a Midwest B1G school like UM. Paying homage to John Thompson's Georgetown Hoyas and Jerry Tarkanian's UNLV Runnin' Rebels, the Steve Fisher-coached Fab Five was an unapologetic blend of youthful hip hop-infused charisma and galvanized straight-in-your-face talent. This was a team the inner city cheered for as it cheered for the aforementioned. Chris Webber and the Fab Five were a cultural representation whenever they hit the floor. A representation of the struggle for respect in a nation stuck on seeing Blacks as second class regardless of their level of athleticism, intelligence, and talent.
The Fab Five was the next spirited metaphor to cheer for, it was one of the first NIL cases that never was, and the money the Fab Five amassed at UM continued a trend of college apparel being mass marketed heavily across the college landscape. Maybe Chris Webber and the Fab Five weren't the sole reason for the myriad of TV and merchandise deals set forth in the 90's, yet there's no way the famous quintet wasn't a reason.
So while fans and media are critical of athletes like Chris Webber taking money, understand that many college administrators and the like are similarly and even more accountable through TV deals for schools; radio, suits and footwear deals for coaches.
Yet it was Chris Webber, through an association with Ed Martin and all that fallout that took the attention off the NCAA, that almost 30 years later, has movement in the positive for athletes really happened?
Not outside of the token measure.
When I asked Chris Webber about the respect the Fab Five received when he entered the league as a Golden State Warriors rookie, he referenced his peers giving him a lot of respect as he settled into the NBA. It was something he truly appreciated. He didn't see it as admiration but more of them understanding what it took to play in two championship games in college. He said they knew the struggle of so much pressure and responsibility at 18 and 19 years old. So much so that his peers told him of many instances where they had to come to his defense because they loved how the Fab Five played and what the unique college team represented.
He had a lot of influence: the UNLV loss to Duke affected the Fab Five. He said of weeping after Duke beat UNLV in the Final Four the year before Michigan fell to the defending champs in the National Finals as a freshman. He didn't go to school the next day because of how much UNLV was a part of him. The Runnin' Rebels' Larry Johnson was a big influence as well with his strong and often dominant play. The same can be said of Hall of Fame power forward Charles Barkley. Rasheed Wallace and Kevin Garnett were also his dudes in the NBA because of how they played, how they handled themselves and their big personalities.
The curse: Timeout vs. UNC in 1993
The timeout Chris Webber called in the National Final vs. UNC in 1993 will be spoken about as long as the game of basketball is played, and Chris Webber talked about it with me as well:
"You know what Mike T? I don’t know. All I know is that I wanted to win. I felt no one on that team could check me and if I got the ball to Jalen, no one could check him. We were down and my instincts said to call a timeout. I made the decision a long time ago that it was my fault. Regardless of what people say happens on the tape of people doing this or doing that. It was my fault. I just remember thinking “God no, not right now. I can’t believe this is happening right now. We had beaten them by one point at the buzzer a year before without Ray. It (timeout) definitely prepared me for life afterward."
Post a timeout in the NBA, Chris Webber was criticized for his play in the clutch. Some said he was shooting too much or taking the shot at the end of the game too often. He was criticized for passing to Mike Bibby for the game-winning shot in Game 5 of the Lakers series -- which Bibby made. It's something he would do a million times, and he couldn't care less about the criticisms because his game was his and his only.
Off the court, the 6'10"Chris Webber was a soul model for any youth he came across. He uses his collection of Black art to influence younger generations. Giving back is something of earnest he has to do. Before the Martin Luther King Jr. monument was erected in DC, I spoke to Chris Webber about MLK at an event to raise money for the first monument of its kind. He mentioned that it was his parents that ensured he and his siblings knew of Dr. King's legacy. His parents are great people, and with his mom being a teacher, there was no way MLK's effect would ever not be respected:
"The only thing I can do with my celebrity to further his dream is to make sure I give kids -- specifically Black boys -- a positive role model to look up to. I’m not perfect, but I try to make sure I live my life in a way Dr. King wanted us all to.”
From 2006-08, Chris Webber's Bada Bling for charity brought in celebrities from all over for the great cause of helping out disadvantaged kids regarding the distribution of books and reading comprehension of those books.
Chris Webber and the rift with Jalen Rose has been talked about way too many times, and it's very promising the entire 5X's will be in attendance at Chris Webber's Hall of Fame induction speech.
The journey has been long, the critics have been harsh, yet the impression I get from Chris Webber is one of peace. Chris Webber sounds like a cool laid back dude and I'm sure fatherhood has done him good. His lovely wife Erika seems perfect for his demeanor, and while Chris Webber is no longer broadcasting games for TNT, with his induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, we can all finally clap strongly for you Chris Webber.
Chris Webber: You were a great basketball player that entertained a generation of fans still clinging to everything about your Michigan youth as well as what you gave fans later in the NBA.
Congratulations, and with everything you've been through and cast aside Chris Webber, the exuberant men and women at Morehouse thirsting for knowledge and a Detroit-passed-down brand of tempered wisdom will surely benefit.