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Chris Webber Comments on Fab Five Documentary, Tom Izzo
May 13, 2015
Chris Webber will forever be remembered as part of the Fab Five at the University of Michigan, but the former NBA star wasn't thrilled with the depiction of the group in ESPN's critically acclaimed documentary.
According to Steve Schrader of the Detroit Free Press, the current TNT NBA analyst revealed on The Dan Patrick Show Wednesday that the 30 for 30 film, spearheaded by former Michigan teammate Jalen Rose, was skewed too much for his liking:
I love the guys, but I just think there was so much missed there. I think it was OK, except ... I think it was ... it looked like ... it looked like, you know, what happens, a lot of people, after they retire or when they're looking for a job or when they want to be relevant, they go back in time and kind of make sure their importance is really known.
My thing is it's always been about us five. So when one guy has a million highlights of himself, as if he was the leading scorer and all the stories are like embellished, it's just a little hard for me. But I think it was entertaining, there was a lot of truth in it. I think it was definitely good, it was OK. ...
I made an agreement when I joined the Fab Five not to be above the group. I have stayed consistently as a member, no one's above the other. It's just disheartening when you pay attention to those rules for 20-plus years, and somebody wants to be Hollywood and make it about them.
Webber revealed that he wasn't part of the documentary since he was asked to participate just a week before filming ended. That resulted in Rose, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson being featured with no sign of C-Webb.
According to Schrader, King claimed on Detroit Sports 105.1 that Webber's account is inaccurate and that he was notified at the same time as every other Fab Five member.
Rose responded to Webber's comments with some strong words of his own, per Larry Brown Sports:
One dude traveled then called timeout. One dude lied to grand jury and hasn't apologized. One dude tried to circumvent the documentary to HBO. One dude ignored multiple requests from everyone involved after agreeing to participate. One dude played like (President) Obama and sat in a suite during Michigan's recent title game. One dude slandered Ed Martin after all he did for him and his family. One dude is not in contact with the other four (which is all good). One dude has been doing a rebuttal doc for four years. One dude clearly is delusional and still in denial.
Congrats on your amazing success! Respect had no price. Man up.
Rose is seeking an apology from Webber after he and other players were alleged to have received payments from Ed Martin, a booster for the school, leading to Michigan vacating its 1992 Final Four appearance and removing the '92 and '93 Final Four banners from its arena, as documented by Nick Baumgardner of MLive.com.
Sam Webb of Scout.com is among those who are surprised to hear about the dissension between Webber and his Fab Five teammates:
In addition to the Fab Five documentary, Webber also discussed his surprising affinity for Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo. Despite Izzo being the face of one of the Wolverines' greatest rivals, Webber had nothing but good things to say about him:
Coach Izzo is a big part of my book. I've known Coach Izzo, I consider him a friend, I've known him since I was about 15 years old. ... I love Coach Izzo, because when he goes into kids' houses and he talks to kids, and he says what he says and he makes them promises, he holds true to those promises. Tom Izzo is one of the best men that I know.
His candor regarding the Fab Five is surprising based on how tight-knit they seemed to be. If his comments are any indication, then his upcoming book could shed even more light on a relationship that may not have been as ideal as most assumed.
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