ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Chris Webber, a member of the Fab Five and a Michigan basketball legend, spoke to Local 4 about the rekindled conversation centered around whether the banners should be hung in the Crisler Center.
Last week, former USC running back Reggie Bush got his Heisman Trophy back 14 years after he forfeited it due to impermissible benefits.
That long-awaited change of course sparked new discussions across the Michigan fan base about the university hanging the long-shelved Final Four banners from the Fab Five era.
Webber, perhaps the most prominent member of that team, which went to back-to-back national championship games in 1992 and 1993, gave Local 4′s Rhonda Walker his take on the situation.
“I just think it’s a disservice to the university, a disservice to the fans,” Webber said. “Our memories are here. That’s the funniest thing: You don’t own anybody’s memories, you know?
“Around the country, not in Detroit, not in Michigan, around the country -- it looks really sad. We never tell around -- because the opinion doesn’t matter here, but it looks very foolish. It looks very foolish, just as foolish as it looked at USC without having Reggie Bush there. It looks foolish.”
Webber said he doesn’t try to insert his opinion with officials at the University of Michigan.
“I just sit back and see what happens,” Webber said. “Ask J-Rose. Ask Juwan. But I just sit back and hope for the best, because it can also consume you and make you go crazy for something you have no control over.”
Webber spoke about a variety of topics that are covered in his new book, “By God’s Grace.” He said it covers his relationship with Michigan, conversations with Warde Manuel, going back to U of M on Jim Harbaugh’s invite, and the infamous timeout against North Carolina.
“I love Michigan,” Webber said. “I wish we were celebrated there, because regardless, we’re ambassadors for Michigan wherever we go, and we try to be great representatives. So I think in this day of athletes taking back their stories, I think there’s a way to do it amicably and keep moving forward.
“We all have scholarships. We’re all a part of it. It’s like, you know, it’s not cool to just go out and brag about it or to challenge them, but hopefully some people who went to the University of Michigan are in the decision-making.”
You can listen to his full comments in the video below.
