I’m well aware of the penalties assessed to the Michigan program because of the money that Ed Martin gave to players, including Webber. Of course, “The Fab Five” era wound up being star-crossed. What John Calipari does annually at Kentucky now is but the logical conclusion to what Michigan started, and every Power 5 team in college basketball has had to follow suit or get left behind. Going forward, teams didn’t just recruit blue-chippers, they put them on the floor immediately. But seeing five freshmen start games and play the lion’s share of minutes rippled throughout the college game. They were the accelerant to the “one-and-done” era, even though none of them left Michigan after their freshman season. It drove traditionalists crazy, while kids watching at home loved it. And while trash talking has been at the heart of hoops for generations, Michigan raised it to a team-wide art form. Aesthetically, they were vanguards, wearing long, loooong shorts that became all the rage throughout basketball.
And Webber was the lynchpin of those Michigan teams that reached consecutive NCAA championship games in 1992 and ‘93.Īcross the board, the Fab Five had long-lasting impact. “The Fab Five”, like it or not - and, I liked it very much - changed basketball forever.
Chris webber golden state pro#
He then decided to cap an incredible recruiting class, which had three of the top 10 players in the country, among a group of freshmen that came to be known as “The Fab Five.” (Also on that Michigan team was a junior guard who averaged 2.9 points per game, who had no future as pro player, but who carved out a place for himself nonetheless in the NBA - Rob Pelinka, who became a high-powered agent representing the likes of Kobe Bryant before becoming the Lakers’ General Manager in 2017.) At Country Day High School in Michigan, he led his team to three state championships, averaging 29 points and 13 rebounds per game his senior season, when he was a consensus national player of the year. The Hall encompasses all of a person’s basketball achievements, and Webber’s career is Hall-worthy. His impact on the game, from high school to being a member of the “Fab Five” at Michigan in college and during his 15 NBA seasons, is undeniable.
Yet in his fifth year of eligibility, Webber was again passed over by the Hall of Fame voters this year. (Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett each have higher PERs than Webber, and each is an obvious HOF lock, but they aren’t Hall of Fame eligible until 2020.) Webber’s career PER is better than those of Hall of Famers including Allen Iverson, Bob McAdoo, Ed McCauley, George McGinnis, Billy Cunningham, Steve Nash, David Thompson, Connie Hawkins, Alex English, Walt Bellamy, Cliff Hagan and many others. His career PER of 20.9 is the highest of any non-retired and Hall of Fame eligible player that isn’t currently in the Hall. He was first- or second-team All NBA four times. In the NBA, Webber was a five-time All-Star, four times with the Kings, and was Rookie of the Year in 1993. To me, getting in the Hall as a player requires a yes answer to two questions: 1) were you among the very best at your position for a substantial period of time during your career, and 2) did your presence and/or play change the game in a meaningful way while you played? (This is why a guy like Sixers guard Andrew Toney, in my view, is HOF-worthy, even though “The Boston Strangler” played from 1980-88 and was limited significantly by injury in two of those seasons.) Webber is a “yes” to both of those questions. And, after his impactful career as a player, he should be enshrined in Springfield.Įveryone’s criteria for the Hall is different. It’s just a matter of time before he gets his chance to run a team, either in the front office or as a part-owner. He’s a true student of the game, not afraid to speak his mind on and off the court, and is someone whose love for the game knows no equal. And I’m not objective when it comes to him, either.
My Turner colleague Chris Webber has always brought out polarizing opinions - first as a player, and now as a broadcaster. C-Webb needs to be in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
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