Chris Webber Named Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Finalist

NBA great Chris Webber has been named a finalist for the 2017 class in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame for the first time.

Chris Webber, one of the best, most well-rounded big men that the NBA has seen, is a finalist to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, along with three other former NBA players, a WNBA player, seven coaches, and a referee.

Over his 15-season NBA career, Webber averaged 20.7 points per game, and complemented his scoring output with 9.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.4 blocks. He was a five-time All-Star, was named First-Team All-NBA once, Second-Team thrice, and Third-Team once.

Webber averaged over 20 points in 10 seasons, and averaged a double-double (points and rebounds) six times. He was also the rare big man, standing at 6’10” and splitting time between center and power forward, to be a somewhat proficient three-point shooter. He wasn’t exactly a sharpshooter, shooting just 29.9 percent, but making 264 threes is impressive for a player that isn’t supposed to shoot many at all.

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Webber is very familiar to local fans, having spent parts of nine NBA seasons with the Sacramento Kings and the Golden State Warriors. He was drafted first overall by the Orlando Magic in the 1994 draft, but was almost immediately traded away to the Warriors, in exchange for Penny Hardaway and a trio of future first-round picks.

In what turned out to be the only season of his first stint with Golden State, Webber average 17.5 points and 9.1 rebounds. He was one of the big factors in The Warriors making a playoff run, though they were swept in the first round, and was named Rookie of the Year. After the season, he exercised an escape clause in his contract, and would be signed and traded to the Washington Bullets, as a poor relationship with Warriors’ head coach Don Nelson made Webber seek a way out.

Webber spent four seasons with Washington (including the first season after the team changed its name to “Wizards”), but was traded to Sacramento ahead of the 1998-1999 season. Back in California, Webber enjoyed some of his best seasons, and was part of some of the best seasons in Kings’ history.

Four of the Kings’ five highest single-season win totals came during Webber’s tenure, including their franchise record 61-win season in 2001-2002. That year, the Kings made it to the Western Conference Finals for only the third time in team history, but lost in their controversial series with the Los Angeles Lakers. That series is still at the heart of conspiracy theories to this day.

In his seven years with Sacramento, Webber averaged 23.5 points and 10.6 rebounds. He scored a career-high 27.1 points per game during the 2000-2001 season. He finished fourth in MVP voting that year, and was a starter in the All-Star Game. His number four was retired in 2009.