Mayce Edward Christopher Webber III, better known as Chris Webber (born March 1, 1973, in Detroit, Michigan), is an American basketball player for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association. As a professional basketball player, he is a 5-time NBA All-Star, a former NBA Rebounding Champion, a former NBA Rookie of the Year, and a former #1 overall NBA draftee. As a collegian, he is a former NCAA Men's Basketball first team All-American and he is well remembered for his leadership of the University of Michigan Wolverines' 1991 incoming freshman class known as the Fab Five, composed of himself, Juwan Howard, Jalen Rose, Jimmy King, and Ray Jackson that reached the 1992 & 1993 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship games as both Freshmen and Sophomores. As a scholastic player he is a former National High School Basketball Player of the Year who led his high school to three Michigan State High School Basketball Championships.

In 1993, Webber was selected first in the NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic, who immediately traded him to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for Anfernee Hardaway and three future first round draft picks. In the 1993 NBA Draft, Webber became the first sophomore since Magic Johnson to be the first overall selection.

Golden State Warriors

He had an outstanding first year, averaging 17 points and nine rebounds per game and thus winning the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. He was instrumental in leading the Warriors back into the playoffs. However, he had a long-standing conflict with his coach, Don Nelson. Nelson wanted to make Webber primarily a post player, despite Webber's superb passing ability and good ball handling skills for someone his size at 6'10" (2.08 m) tall. By the 1994 offseason, Nelson felt that he could no longer coach Webber.

Washington Bullets/Wizards

Webber was traded in his second year to the Washington Bullets, where he was reunited with his college teammate and friend, Juwan Howard. He spent the next three years with the Bullets (later renamed the Washington Wizards), although in the 1995-96 season injuries limited him to 15 games. Webber rebounded from the injury and was named to his first All-Star team in 1997. In 1997, Webber led the Bullets into the playoffs for the first time in 9 years, but they were swept by the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls. By 1998, Webber had established himself as a great power forward, but his time in Washington had also worn out.

Sacramento Kings

On May 14, 1998, Webber was traded to the Sacramento Kings for Mitch Richmond and Otis Thorpe. Webber did not want to go to Sacramento, as they were a perennial losing team. Webber even states that he almost did not get on the plane that flew him from his Detroit home to Sacramento. His father convinced him otherwise.

When Webber arrived, the Kings also signed center Vlade Divac and drafted point guard Jason Williams. In the 1999 season, The Kings almost upset the veteran Utah Jazz, led by league MVP Karl Malone. In years to come, Webber and the Kings became an exciting team, and also NBA title contenders. He was named to the All-Star team in 2000 and 2001 while cementing his status as one of the premier power forwards in the NBA. Webber peaked in the 2000-01 season where he averaged a career-high 27.1 points and 11.1 rebounds.

On July 27, 2001 Webber signed a $127 million, seven-year contract with the Kings. However, he drew controversy from Sacramento fans through his large salary, frequent injuries, and the team's overall good performance while he was on the bench. However, in 2002, Webber led the Kings to a franchise record 61-21. He also made his fourth All Star team. and they made it to the Western Conference Finals, against the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers. The Kings put up a good fight against the Lakers, eventually bowing out in 7 games. Despite the disappointing result, the series was the high point of Webber's stint in Sacramento.

The next season, Webber put up another superb year, averaging 23 points and 11 rebounds per game. He was cited as a possible MVP candidate, and made his fifth consecutive All-Star team. In a bad sign of what was to come, Webber missed the All Star game with an injured knee. Nevertheless, he returned and the Kings were among the favorites to win the NBA Championship.

In the second game of the 2003 Western Conference Semifinals against the Dallas Mavericks, Webber suffered a career-threatening knee injury that forced him to miss nearly a year of action. After microfracture surgery, he returned for the final 25 games of the 2003-04 season, but his athleticism, agility, and mobility had just started to get better.

Philadelphia 76ers

In February 2005, Webber, along with Michael Bradley and Matt Barnes, was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers for power forward Kenny Thomas, forward/center Brian Skinner, and well-known former King Corliss Williamson. Webber took some time to fit in with the 76ers offense, as he was a second scoring option for the first time in his career. However, he did help catapult the Sixers to a berth in the 2005 playoffs, where the Sixers lost to the Detroit Pistons. However, they did not reach the playoffs in 2006, despite Webber putting up a resurgent 20 points and 10 rebounds per game. However with microfracture surgery on his knee, Webber lost his lateral quickness and jumping ability. With this he was seen as a defensive liability and was usually benched for the 4th quarters. This caused Webber to reportedly call for a trade.

On Tuesday, April 18, 2006, he and fellow teammate Allen Iverson were fined for not showing up at the Philadelphia 76ers final home game of the season, which was Fan Appreciation Night, despite the fact that both had injuries]. One day later, both of Detroit Pistons

On 16 January 2007, Chris Webber signed with the Detroit Pistons. He has stated throughout his career that he always wanted to play for the Pistons. Because his usual number 4 is retired in honor of Joe Dumars, Webber will wear number 84. In his first game with Detroit, Chris had 3 assists, 5 rebounds, 1 block, and 2 points. The Pistons lost to Utah 100-99.

Despite the initial loss, the signing was considered a smart move on the part of the Pistons, who went 11-4 in his first month on the team and took the conference lead as a result. As of March 9 2007, the Pistons are 17-7 with Webber and 17-6 with him as the starting center.them apologized for their actions even thinking it was not a big deal.

During the 2006-2007 season Webber only played 18 of 35 games for the Sixers leading the media to question his motivation. On January 11, 2007 Sixers GM Billy King announced that the Sixers and Webber had agreed to a reported $25 million contract buyout on the remaining two years left on his contract, in effect paying him not to play. Later that day, the Sixers waived Webber, making him a free agent.


Source : Wikipedia