I Will Remember C-webb the Man and the Player
An original Purple Reign post from February 23, 2005 after the trade......
Personally this is my last word on this trade. Once I see Chris slip on that 76er uniform on Saturday and play against the Kings, closure will begin for me.
Chris Webber was a man that took a load of critisism throughout his almost seven years in Sacramento. Some of the critisism was self inflicted, but as a 17 plus year resident of Sacramento, I saw a lot of unfairness when it came to Chris Webber the basketball player and the man. This is a quote from a writer of the Philadelphia newspaper:
"To paraphrase rapper Jay-Z, Webber's many talents on a basketball court are a gift and a curse. His body is a hybrid of seemingly inconsistent parts; no big man is supposed to be able to pass as well as the 6-foot-9 Webber does, and surely such a passer shouldn't have his Velcro-like hands. A power forward shouldn't be able to step out on the perimeter and drain 20-footers all day, but Webber can.
And all of that is attached to a smile that overpowers his face - a face that showcases wry humor, intellectual candlepower and innate curiosity.
Those gifts, however, create monstrous expectations. And throughout his 11-year NBA career, Webber - acquired by the Sixers late Wednesday from Sacramento - has come up just short of fulfilling all that potential with a championship".
Did Chris Webber diss Sacramento when he first got here, YES.
Did he court other towns while he became a Free Agent, YES.
Did he blast the media over his Tyra Banks relationship, YES.
Did he lie to a grand jury about something that happened 15 years ago, YES
Did he get suspended violating the leagues substance abuse policy, YES
Did he call out his teammates, when he should have looked in the mirror, YES
But throughout all of this and the things I am forgetting, dude was straight up entertaining, interesting, complex and compelling all at the same time both on and off the court. He was a lightening rod for both praise and controversy, shouldering both tremendous love as well as overwhelming hate from the same community. But what I will say is that we witnessed a tremendous amount of maturity from the 25 year old that did not know if he wanted to be in Sacramento, to a 32 year old man who said "he would never trade this for the world".
As far as I am concerned, though the Kings are my team and I will back them to the death. But this team is clearly not as entertaining without Vlade, Doug Christie and especially Chris Webber. Through his philophanthropic efforts with the TLC Soup Kitchen, Crocker Art Museum, Grant Union School District and other things. His articulation, his quotes, his snarl.... and that unbelievable smile that would make me melt AND I AM A HAPPLY MARRIED, HETROSEXUAL MAN
Clearly, and I mean clearly this team is not as interesting or entertaining as it once was. Will we win? That remains to be seen. But sports is more than about wins and losses. More than whether one cat takes 20 plus shots per game and the other cat is trying to find his way. It is about being entertained. That is what Chris Webber the man did, he entertained and we all won both on the court and in the community.
