Welcome to the fourth edition of Throwback Thursday here on A Royal Pain! This version goes to legendary Sacramento Kings big man, Chris Webber!
Welcome back everyone to the next edition of my Throwback Thursday series only on A Royal Pain! After previously reminiscing Doug Christie, Mike Bibby, and Jason Williams, I ran a Twitter poll, and Chris Webber was the winner! So without further ado, let’s throw it back to Chris Webber!
The Player
Chris Webber was born on March 1, 1973, in Detroit, Michigan where he eventually became a member of Michigan’s “Fab Five” in college.
He was taken by the Orlando Magic as the #1 overall pick in the 1993 NBA Draft but shockingly traded to the Golden State Warriors. Out of all the teams to be traded to, he gets traded to the Warriors. Disgusting right? All Warrior hate aside, Webber also appeared for the Washington Wizards, Philadelphia 76ers, Detroit Pistons and of course, the Sacramento Kings. Webber played seven seasons for the Kings, more than any other team.
Chris played 831 games and started 827 of them.
The Numbers
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Throughout his career, Webber proved to be a consistent scorer and rebounder.
Career Averages: 20.7 points, 9.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 blocks, 1.4 steals, 48% field goals
Chris’s best season came as a King in 2000-’01, when he averaged 27.1 points, 11.1 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.7 blocks while shooting 48% and starting each of his 70 games played.
Webber never played all 82 games in a season, but when he played, he started (except for four games).
Accolades
- 1993-1994 Rookie of the Year
- Five-time NBA All-Star
- 1st Team All-NBA in 2001
The Wrap Up
When you talk about the best big men in Kings history, there is no way you do not mention Chris Webber. He is worthy of being in the Hall of Fame because of what he contributed to the NBA as a whole. Not many can average nearly a double-double throughout their entire career and not to forget, Webber was one of the main reasons the Kings went deep into the playoffs.
DeMarcus Cousins is the closest thing the Kings have had to an utterly dominant big man since Webber left the Kings. Hopefully, Willie Cauley-Stein, Skal Labissiere, Harry Giles Jr, or Georgios Papagiannis can become the next great Kings big man.
Next: How the Kings are building a potential Superteam
Thank you, Chris Webber, for your contributions to Sacramento! And thank you to everyone who read Throwback Thursday here on A Royal Pain!
Make sure to follow me on Twitter @TheSanjeshSingh if you ever want to get your say on the next edition of this series!