Chris Webber returns to Michigan campus
Former Michigan basketball and NBA star Chris Webber made his return to the school's campus on Saturday for the first time in over 15 years. The Detroit native served as honorary captain for the Wolverines' football game against Penn State.
Chris Webber’s return. pic.twitter.com/rrzXlWfLAZ
— Brandon Justice (@BrandonBJustice) November 3, 2018
Webber avoided association with the university and his former "Fab Five" teammates since his NCAA-mandated 10-year ban from the school ended in 2013.
The ban was a result of Webber's ties to former Michigan booster Ed Martin, and his guilty plea for criminal contempt in 2003.
Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh invited Webber in June to be an honorary football captain for a game this season.
On Saturday, they flashed the number four together - Webber's number at Michigan.
This is Jim Harbaugh’s greatest accomplishment since he took the Michigan coaching job https://t.co/3izVGgJrrr
— J.A. Adande (@jadande) November 3, 2018
Love pic.twitter.com/VMU54s6KZt
— Chris Webber (@realchriswebber) November 3, 2018
Basketball coach John Beilein said he hopes the former star will meet with his team this weekend in a continued attempt to mend fences between Webber and the school.
"I don't know how much Chris wants me to say, but we hope we can get together this weekend," Beilein said Thursday, according to Orion Sang of the Detroit Free Press.
The other four members of Michigan's famed "Fab Five" - Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King, and Ray Jackson - weren't involved in the scandal and have had a continued relationship with Michigan. Webber and Rose have taken public jabs at each other over the last few years, and Webber refused to participate in an ESPN "30 for 30" about the "Fab Five" era.