Chris Webber

1973-

American basketball player

Chris Webber, known as C-Webb, is an athletic and dynamic forward who, at six-feet-ten-inches, can get the crowd on its feet with spectacular dunks and nearly poetic play up and down the floor. In the media limelight since high school, Webber has become one of the shining stars of the National Basketball Association (NBA) during his ten-year career. As a member of the Sacramento Kings since 1999 he is a team leader and a fan favorite. However, the path for this member of the University of Michigan's acclaimed "Fab Five" had several tough years in the NBA before putting it all together.

Growing up in Detroit

Mayce Edward Christopher Webber III was born on March 1, 1973, in Detroit, Michigan, the oldest of five children. His father, Mayce, was a plant foreman for General Motors, often working double shifts, and his mother, Doris, taught special needs children in the Detroit school system. Although reared in a tough lower-middle-class Detroit neighborhood with few positive economic and social opportunities, Webber benefited

from a close-knit family with supportive parents who kept a close eye on their son.

Webber did not play much basketball until the summer before entering the sixth grade. His father encouraged him to take up the sport because his son was already exceptionally tall for his age. Joining a summer basketball program, with little idea how to play, Webber almost quit because the other kids teased him for his awkwardness. Encouraged by his father to tough it out, Webber was helped by a local coach who recognized his potential and spent hours working with him to improve his play, which paid huge dividends for Webber. Despite Webber's protests, his parents enrolled him as a freshman at Detroit Country Day High, located in an upper-middle-class suburb of Birmingham. During his time at Country Day, Webber led the school to three state basketball championships and averaged twenty-eight points and thirteen rebounds per game during his senior year. In 1991 he was named Michigan's Mr. Basketball and National High School Player of the Year.

The "Fab Five"

After the final game of the 1991 state championship, Webber announced to a group of reporters that he would play for the University of Michigan Wolverines. There, under the leadership of Coach Steve Fisher, Webber joined four other highly recruited freshmen: Ray Jackson, Juwan Howard, Jim King, and Jalen Rose. When Fisher put all five freshmen in the starting line in February of 1992, the team was dubbed the Fab Five. Known for their cocky, self-assured play, on-court trash talk, and knee-length shorts that soon became the national trend in uniforms, the Fab Five earned a bid to the 1992 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament as a sixth seed. Webber and his teammates reached the finals, but were soundly beaten by the Duke Blue Devils, 71-51. Webber was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, averaging 15.5 points per game and leading the conference in rebounding.

With all the Fab Five returning as sophomores, great things were expected of the Wolverines. Webber did not disappoint: he led his team in points per game (19.2) rebounds per game (10.1), blocks per game (2.1), and field goal percentage (.619). In March of 1993, the Wolverines were back in the final game of the NCAA tournament, this time favored to beat their opponent, the University of North Carolina Tar Heels. Webber poured in twenty-three points and grabbed eleven rebounds; however, in a fateful play, down by two points with eleven seconds left on the clock, he got caught in a trap in the corner near the Michigan bench. To avoid a turnover, he signaled for a timeout. But, because the Wolverines had no remaining timeouts, Webber was called for a technical foul. The Tar Heels made both free throws and ultimately won the championship 77-71.

Rookie of the Year

Webber was devastated by his mistake and at first vowed to return for his junior year to atone for his fatal error. However, with the NBA knocking at his door with promises of large salaries and future superstardom, Webber soon announced that he would forego his remaining years of college eligibility to enter the 1993 NBA draft. He was selected as the first overall pick by the Orlando Magic, who moments later traded him to the Golden State Warriors for Penny Hardaway and three draft choices. Webber signed a 15-year contract with the Warriors worth $74 million.

Chronology

During his first season in the NBA, Webber posted extraordinary numbers, becoming the first NBA rookie to attain 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 250 assists, 150 blocks, and 75 steals. However, even after earning Rookie of the Year honors and leading his team to a respectable record of 50-32, Webber let it be known that he was unhappy at Golden State. In the media frenzy that ensued to discover the source of Webber's discontentment, the young Warrior found himself in the midst of an ugly and well-publicized feud with Coach Don Nelson. The controversy tarnished Webber's image, causing him to be labeled as an overpaid prima donna. One month into his second NBA season Webber was traded to the Washington Bullets (now known as the Wizards), signing a one-year contract for $2.08 million.

Reunited with former Wolverine teammate Juwan Howard, Webber worked to regroup personally and professionally after arriving in Washington, D.C. An injured shoulder that eventually required surgery shortened Webber's 1994-95 to fifty-four games and the 1995-96 season to just fifteen games. Returning healthy in 1996, Webber posted excellent numbers, leading the Bullets in scoring (20.1 points per game), rebounding (9.6 per game), steals (1.5 per game), and minutes played (38.3 per game), earning his first invitation to the NBA All-Star Game.

Off the court, Webber once again ran into problems. In January of 1998 he was stopped for speeding on the way to practice. He was charged with numerous traffic violations as well as possession of marijuana. Assault and resisting arrest were also added after he became involved in an altercation with the arresting officer. Webber failed to clear his image and lost his contract with Fila after custom officials found marijuana in his gym bag while he was on a promotional tour for the footwear company.

Sacramento: A New Beginning

Despite his basketball abilities, the Wizards decided to rid themselves of the headaches caused by Webber's off-court antics and traded him to the Sacramento Kings in 1998. Webber, who responded bitterly to the trade, felt that the Wizards' organization was acting punitively and unfairly. Yet unexpectedly Sacramento became Webber's chance to begin afresh. He later told Sport, "I thought it was the end of the world coming here, but it was a new beginning."

As a member of the Kings, Webber has cleaned up his image and consistently proves himself on the court. After a rough first five years in the NBA, he once again enjoys the game of basketball. Despite an opportunity to exercise his rights as a free agent in 2001, Webber chose to remain in Sacramento, a place he once considered the Siberia of professional basketball. In 2001 the Kings won its first postseason series in twenty years. During his tenure with the Kings, Webber has averaged over twenty-four points and eleven rebounds per game. With ongoing success on the floor and a new maturity, he continues to push himself to become an NBA superstar of the highest degree.

Career Statistics

CONTACT INFORMATION

Address: Sacramento Kings, One Sports Parkway, Sacramento, California 95834. Phone: (916) 928-6900.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Books

Henderson, Ashyia, ed. Contemporary Black Biography, Volume 30. Detroit: Gale Group, 2001.

Newsmakers 1994, Issue 4. Detroit: Gale Research, 1994.

Sports Stars. Series 1-4. Detroit: U•X•L, 1994-98.

Who's Who Among African Americans, 14th ed. Detroit: Gale Group, 2001.

Periodicals

Adande, J. A. "The Quick Turn Around." Sporting News (November 22, 1999): 50.

Ballantini, Brett. "King for (Just) a Day?" Basketball Digest (April 2001): 24.

Deveney, Sean. "A 'Desperate' Man." Sporting News (March 11, 2002): 20+.

Deveney, Sean. "Now is No Time for Webber to Leave Kings." Sporting News (July 9, 2001): 50.

"NBA Star Chris Webber Arrested." Jet (February 9, 1998): 51-52.

Ribowsky, Mark. "King Leery." Sport (February 2000): 28.

Sabino, David. "A Whole New Rap." Sports Illustrated (April 12, 1999): 42.

Schoenfeld, Bruce. "Getting a Read on Chris Webber." Sporting News (January 24, 1994): 36.

Taylor, Phil. "Beating the Blues." Sports Illustrated (April 19, 1993): 54.

Taylor, Phil. "Capital Gain." Sports Illustrated (November 28, 1994): 16.

Other

"Chris Webber." National Basketball Association. http://www.nba.com/ (December 11, 2002)

"Chris Webber." Sports Stats.com. http://www.sportsstats.com/bball/national/players/1990/Chris_Webber/ (December 11, 2002)

Sketch by Kari Bethel

Awards and Achievements