Chris Webber Talks Spurs-Thunder, Knicks, Kings-Lakers & More

Chris Webber joined Suzy Shuster, who used to interview him after Sacramento Kings games and still laughs about the gap between his on-court scowl and the big bowl of mush he was in the locker room. That dual reputation set the tone for a wide-ranging conversation that ran from the Western Conference finals to one of the most painful nights of his career.

On the basketball, Webber was bullish on the Spurs in game six and said so plainly: San Antonio wins at home, by a double-digit margin. His reasoning was about heart over schemes. If you saw the energy the other night, he said, there were probably tears in that locker room, and a proud team coming home angry is exactly the situation he loves. As a Spurs fan, he added, you almost want Wembanyama to have had a rough game, because it will not happen twice in a row.

The path back, in Webber's view, runs through Wembanyama getting fundamental rather than chasing logo threes. Maybe it is 20 trips to the line, he said, or 15 jump hooks, because a turnaround hook from a player his size is probably going in. He invoked a Shaq principle, that the tallest man on the floor should dominate and force everyone to react to him, and predicted that is the level Wembanyama reaches. As for whether the series goes the distance, Webber expected the Spurs to even it and push toward a game seven, while swatting away the idea that fatigue is an excuse. Everybody is tired, he said, even LeBron, and learning the game means using an opponent's lean against him, the kung-fu principle that turns a giant into the best decoy in the world.

He gave the Knicks their due as well, crediting Mike Brown's offensive fluidity and deep bench for keeping them fresh, then making an admission that pained him as a Kings legend: outside of Sacramento, New York has the greatest fans in the world, a template for how fan bases should be.

The richest material, though, was personal. Asked about famously dunking on Charles Barkley, Webber lit up. He was a huge Barkley fan who met his hero in high school, and as a rookie he flew his whole family out, then made sure to look up at his father after the poster. He went around his back on the dunk out of necessity, he explained, to keep Barkley from fouling him, and he still hears about it, just as he reminds Barkley about Tim Duncan dunking on him too. Webber never bought the idea that a dunk is just two points, calling it momentum you cannot fully articulate, and named Dominique Wilkins his favorite dunker ever, ahead of even Dr. J and Jordan.

Then TJ took him somewhere harder, the controversial 2002 game six between the Kings and Lakers. Webber did not duck it. It was the only game he ever played, he said, where you felt in your gut that something was off, and he called it terrible. But he refused to pin the loss entirely on that night. Sacramento had a game seven, hacked it, missed free throws, and did not execute. That game mattered and stole one from them, he said, even joking that Kobe could go ahead and let him hold the ring because it was theirs, but they had another chance and did not take it.

His favorite Sacramento memories were about belonging, a small city taking on Big Brother in Los Angeles and, for a stretch, beating them. He cherished being the first Kings team to reach the playoffs, win a series, and make the conference finals, with loyal fans who showed up for him, Jason Williams, Vlade Divac, and Peja Stojakovic every single night.

His favorite Madison Square Garden night came as a Wizard alongside Juwan Howard, throwing alley-oops and beating the Knicks while Spike Lee, Eddie Murphy, and Denzel Washington watched courtside. Performing in front of people who excel at their own craft, he said, made him bring extra.

He closed with a family note, confirming that softball star Jason Williams, whom he calls a brother, has a daughter who is, in his words, cold, and crediting her track-star mother for the athletic genes. Then, because he is who he is, Webber signed off with a hearty "Go Lions."