But Webber was the prototype for a position in a changing league, belonging to the future, as much as the past, as much as the present. Plenty of guys can claim to be the best of their respective hometown, and many have flights of fancy, tales of playing like Magic Johnson in their heyday. (Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images) (Lisa Blumenfeld via Getty Images) “He’s the crown jewel out of Detroit,” he said of Webber, without hesitation.Ĭhris Webber, shown during a 2005 game, will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday despite never winning a championship. Thomas and Johnson each ran summer camps that brought out all the best high school talent, which the likes of Webber, Jalen Rose, Derrick Coleman and Steve Smith - among others, attended.īut Thomas is clear about who the best homegrown talent is, out of a talent-rich city. But Chris Webber was doing it in high school and then college.” Everybody was trying to do it like Magic. “OK, Magic was doing it at 6-foot-9 in the pros. “Snatching it off the glass, bringing it up the court, no-look passes and dunking on people,” Thomas said. Thomas often took his teammates to games during off nights, and since he was well-connected in the city, he was well aware of Webber. He’s strong, I couldn’t do anything with him. “We’re riding back and Laimbeer goes, ‘Holy s***,’” Thomas told Yahoo Sports with his trademark laugh. But there’s a difference between seeing a ballplayer at Detroit Country Day beat up on teenagers and doing it against men in their 30s, champions.Įnter Bad Boy Bill Laimbeer on a court in Ann Arbor when Webber was a freshman at the University of Michigan, before the Fab Five became famous.
So even with the Rookie of the Year title in his trophy case, Webber had to rebuild his image and endorsements from scratch.Isiah Thomas walked into a suburban Detroit gym to see a high school prodigy he’d known about and later mentored. With its back to the wall, Golden State agreed to a sign-and-trade deal one month into his second season to the Washington Bullets. He exercised a one-year escape clause in his contract, which signified he was ready to leave the team. And with a tarnished image and past history it seemed as though unless Nelson went, Webber wanted out. However, the feud with his coach was beyond the point of control. With stats like that, it was no surprise when he was named the 1993-1994 NBA Rookie of the Year, beating out guys like Penny. Webber became the first NBA rookie to attain 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 250 assists, 150 blocks, and 75 steals. This wasn’t cool with the young man and their distaste for each other continued throughout the season.
Nelson wanted to play quick and fast, with Webber often in the post and sometimes playing center.
But as much as people wanted to check out his sneakers and his game the media attention was more focused on an ugly and very public feud with his coach. Sneaker fans were excited as it looked like Webber and Nike would continue their history from college into the NBA. He showed early on that he was ready for the NBA, showing off his vast skillset on a nightly basis.
So Webber started his NBA career as a Golden State Warrior under coach Don Nelson. Chris Webber in Nike Air Flight Huarache Chris Webber in Nike Air Maestro photo via Getty However, he would not team up with Shaq or play for Orlando as he was dealt to the Golden State Warriors for Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway and a number of picks. The decision to come out after his sophomore year seemed like the right choice as he was the #1 pick during the 1993 NBA Draft, the first time a sophomore was chosen first since Magic Johnson back in 1979. Looking to legitimately make money while playing basketball, Webber entered the league with a lot of hope and hype behind him. Most importantly for fans, ended the Fab Five. When Chris Webber made the decision to enter the NBA draft in 1993, it marked the end of an important era of NCAA basketball history.
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