By Mark Bryant | OBSERVER Correspondent
OAK PARK – A capacity crowd of over 200 people packed the Guild Theater in Oak Park on April 14 to welcome back former Sacramento Kings star Chris Webber.
Webber, who was drafted No. 1 overall in the 1993 NBA draft, was Rookie of the Year and a five-time all-star over the course of his 15-year career – the peak of which was spent in Sacramento as part of the championship-contending Kings teams of the late 1990s to-mid 2000s.
The Oak Park Speaker Series event was just one in a whirlwind weekend for Webber marking his return to Sacramento. He attended the Kings-Phoenix Suns game at Golden 1 Center on Friday evening. On Saturday night, he threw out the first pitch at the River Cats game at Sutter Health Park. On Sunday afternoon, he was back in attendance at the Kings’ regular season finale against the Portland Trail Blazers in a critical game for playoff position.
All weekend long, Webber was promoting and marketing his new autobiography, “By God’s Grace,” which details his basketball journey and life lessons.
“From the time I was 12 years old, everyone had something to say about me. It was important to me that people hear my voice. This was a journey of self-exploration. It was a research process. It is all my words. I am an avid reader, and I wanted to write a book that I wanted to read,” Webber said.
The memoir chronicles his rise to fame with the University of Michigan “Fab Five” group of talented freshmen, his NBA career and his family’s influence.
“It is all in you; you just have to persevere,” Webber said. “That’s the message of the book. I talk about my vulnerability, my faith, and not wanting to go places I didn’t want to go.”
Former mayor Kevin Johnson, himself a former NBA all-star, held court with Webber for nearly 90 minutes in a “fireside chat” interview and a question-and-answer session with the audience, concluding with a book signing at Underground Books, next door to the Guild Theater.
Webber grew up in Detroit the oldest of five children. He credits his father, who worked in various factories for over 35 years, and his mother, a teacher, with instilling discipline and values.
“My parents didn’t suffer any fools. They taught me to keep positive energy, and that school was important. My family was all about education,” Webber said.
Webber starred at Detroit Country Day High School and played on various Amateur Athletic Union teams. Through a series of serendipitous moves that included Webber committing to Michigan, he met and bonded with four other young players – Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson – forming a quintet that became known as the Fab Five.
“We knew right away that we had a group that could do something special,” Webber said. “We wanted to be great. We were all in on everything. We never wanted to go anywhere without each other. That was our energy. Our identity was to make sure we knew who we were in a sea of people. We bonded together and we loved it. We were humble and respected the game.”
With their black shoes, black athletic socks, and baggy basketball shorts, the Fab Five presented a sharp contrast to conventional college basketball attire and culture at the time.
“The criticism we received along the way only fired us up even more,” Webber said. “We didn’t fear anyone. We felt that staying together would help us, not only on the court, but in the classroom and everywhere else.”
The Fab Five exceeded expectations by reaching the NCAA Tournament’s championship game in 1992 and 1993.
“We felt it was our turn. We all earned it on the court. We knew everyone was out to get us and they would clap if we fell,” Webber said.
Johnson added that the togetherness along with the black attire did not go unnoticed in the pro ranks.
“We would get off planes and run to the hotel to watch the Fab Five play on TV. What they were doing transcended basketball and sports. We were NBA players, checking them out,” Johnson said.
After losing in back-to-back NCAA tournament championship games, including a heartbreaking 1993 loss to North Carolina when Webber infamously called a timeout in the closing seconds that Michigan did not have, the Fab Five forward became the first member to leave school and declare for the NBA draft.
“I went home after that loss, and I needed some healing,” Webber said. “I go home to see my mother, and she’s holding up a license plate that says ‘Timeout.’ The message was, don’t run from adversity. It kind of helped to keep me going.”
Webber was drafted No. 1 overall by the Orlando Magic, but was traded on draft night to the Golden State Warriors. Because of differences with Warriors coach Don Nelson, he was traded to the Washington Bullets, later renamed the Wizards. While he helped Washington reach the playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade, he was subsequently traded to the Kings and his career appeared at a crossroads.
Webber did not want to come to Sacramento. His initial reluctance to don the black and purple of the Kings stemmed from the team being a perennial loser (they had reached the playoffs twice in 13 years in Sacramento up to that point) and the town’s reputation among players in the league as being less than cosmopolitan.
“I didn’t want to come here,” he said. “I talked to my dad; his reaction was ‘Just go to work.’ I talked to my mom, she said ‘This looks like this could be a great opportunity for you.’”
After meeting free-wheeling point guard Jason Williams, Webber began to change his tune.
“He was incredible on the court. I wanted to be mad, but I couldn’t stay mad,” Webber said.
Webber credited the fans and then-General Manager Geoff Petrie with helping soften his stance on not wanting any part of Sacramento.
“Love held me accountable. Sacramento gave me love, faith and perseverance,” he said.
He also cited various teammates such as Williams and Vernon Maxwell as helping Sacramento become the most momentous stop of his career.
“Jason was excited. Every time I think of him, I think of Ric Flair. Maxwell brought it to practice every day. Guys like Jon Barry, Bobby Jackson and Doug Christie made us the team that we were. I have noticed that the best teams have used our cornerstone offense to win championships. What Golden State does – spread out the ball, team ball with Steph Curry being a great shooter – is what we were doing with Peja Stojakovic. Not hero ball, team ball,” Webber said.
Webber started a restaurant in Sacramento, Center Court with C-Webb. It lasted only three years and closed in 2009, but that did not diminish its impact, according to Kenny Caraway, local radio host at ESPN 1320.
“He didn’t just talk about the fact that there was no soul food place in Sacramento, he did something about it. As a young Black kid, that made an impression on me,” Caraway said.
Though the Kings were thwarted in their quest for a championship repeatedly by the Los Angeles Lakers, most notably in the 2002 Western Conference Finals, Webber wouldn’t trade his experience in Sacramento for anything.
“I have had so many great teammates who influenced me on and off the court. I went to Serbia and saw all these people in the street that had our jerseys on,” Webber said. “We really loved playing with and for each other. When you’re playing with people you already trust, the game is easy.”
Webber lives near Atlanta and is now an entrepreneur with the goal of putting together an ownership group. “It is my goal to be president of basketball operations, and to own a team,” he said. “I want to surround myself with good people.
“I didn’t want to come here. But now I love Sacramento.”