NBA
Chris Webber: Why He Has Strong Case To Be In Hall Of Fame
Chris Webber, the former NBA power forward is one of the most famous former players. He spent the best years of his career with the Sacramento Kings from 1998-2003. Ever since his retirement in 2008, he’s made his presence known on tv as an analyst and announcer for TNT.
As for Webber’s case for the Hall of Fame, he has a strong one with five all-star appearances, five all-NBA team selections (including one 1st team), and a rookie of the year award. He gained a few votes for MVP over the years while with the Kings, but never came close to winning the award. The most glaring omission from his résumé is an NBA championship. This is taken into account largely when deciding whether a player makes it into the Hall of Fame.
Basketballreference.com has Chris Webber at just a 14.6% chance to make it into the Hall of Fame. In my opinion, his chances are significantly higher than that. He is a well-known player and despite never winning a championship, Webber is in the top 10 power forward of all time conversation (definitely top 15). The strong legacy of those Kings teams and he was their best player should help his case. It should earn him a place in the Hall of Fame.
Led By Webber, The Kings Are One Of The Best Teams To Not Win A Championship
The Sacramento Kings in the late 90s and early 2000s are remembered for their exciting style of play. Led by Webber, they had Arco Arena rocking every night with the cowbell they annoyed opponents with. The team was built around Webber and had complementary players like Jason Williams, Vlade Divac, Peja Stojakovic, and Mike Bibby.
Those players weren’t all there at the same time. Williams was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies for Bibby. Throughout Webber’s tenure with the Kings, they all were vital pieces alongside Webber.
Despite being an undeniably great team, they never won a championship. Some think it’s due to the controversial 2002 game 6 of the western conference finals against the Los Angeles Lakers. Most believed the game was fixed. The Lakers went on to win the series in seven games.
