50 Greatest NBA/ABA Players Not In the Hall Of Fame

Tom Hauck /Allsport

His career at Michigan ended on a sour note, but it didn’t stop the Orlando Magic from taking big man Chris Webber with the first overall pick in the 1993 NBA Draft.

But they didn’t keep him long. Later on draft night, the Magic sent Webber’s rights to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for the rights to No. 3 overall selection Anfernee Hardaway as well as first-round picks in 1996, 1998 and 2000.

When Webber was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in 1993-94, it seemed like a great deal for the Warriors.

But friction between Webber and coach Don Nelson over his role on the team prompted Webber to exercise an early termination option in his contract and Golden State could manage only to work out a sign-and-trade deal with the Washington Bullets, sending Webber east in exchange for Tom Gugliotta and first-round picks in 1996, 1998 and 2000.

Webber was hampered by the first of many knee injuries with in Washington.

In May 1998, the Wizards, who changed their name the previous season, traded Webber to the Sacramento Kings for Mitch Richmond and Otis Thorpe.

Webber’s arrival coincided with the rise of the Kings to relevance.

Webber was a five-time All-NBA selection in Sacramento, leading the league with 13.0 rebounds per game in 1998-99. He was also fourth in the MVP voting in 2000-01.

More knee troubles hampered him with the Kings, who traded him in February 2005 along with Matt Barnes and Michael Bradley to the Philadelphia 76ers for Corliss Williamson, Kenny Thomas and Brian Skinner.

In January 2007, the 76ers waived Webber, who signed with the Detroit Pistons for the remainder of the season.

After sitting out the first part of the season, Webber returned to the Warriors for one last shot at a comeback in January 2008, but retired in March after playing in just nine games.

In 15 NBA seasons, Webber averaged 20.7 points, 9.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks in 37.1 minutes per game, shooting .479/.299/.649.

His average of 37.1 minutes per game is 25th-most in NBA history and his average of 20.7 points per game ranks 49th.