Frank Thomas

Notable Sports Figures
Chris Webber
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 uppermiddle-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
Chronology
Webber
1973 Born March 1 in Detroit, Michigan
1987-91 Stars in basketball at Country Day High in Birmingham,
Michigan
1991-93 Stars as a member of the University of Michigan’s “Fab Five”
1993 Begins career in National Basketball Association (NBA) with
the Golden State Warriors
1994 Traded to the Washington Bullets (now known as the Wizards)
1998 Stopped for speeding, arrested for marijuana possession,
assault, and resisting arrest; traded to the Sacramento Kings
2001 Leads Kings to first postseason victory in 20 years
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.
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 re-
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