The Fab Five photographed by the University of Michigan athletic department in 1992. From left to right: Ray Jackson, Juwan Howard, Jalen Rose, Jimmy King and Chris Webber.

The Fab Five was the 1991 University of Michigan men's basketball team recruiting class that many consider one of the greatest recruiting classes of all time.[1] The class consisted of Detroit natives Chris Webber (#4) and Jalen Rose (#5), Chicago native Juwan Howard (#25), and two recruits from Texas: Plano's Jimmy King (#24) and Austin's Ray Jackson (#21).[2] The Fab Five were the first team in NCAA history to compete in the championship game with all-freshman starters.[3]

Their trend-setting but controversial antics on the court garnered much media attention.[4] They are the subjects of The Fab Five, the highest-rated ESPN Films documentary ever produced,[5][6] one of the featured teams in two of the highest-rated NCAA Men's Basketball Championship games ever played in terms of households (although not viewers),[7][8] and a marketing juggernaut whose merchandise sales dwarfed even those of the national champion 1988–89 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team.[9]

Four of the five participated in the 1991 McDonald's All-American Game.[10] Four McDonald's All-Americans in a single recruiting class stood as an unbroken record until the 2013 McDonald's All-American Boys Game included six members of the entering class for the 2013–14 Kentucky Wildcats team.[11] Four of the five members went on to play in the NBA.

History

At first, only three of the freshmen started for the 1991–92 Michigan men's basketball team. They all played when the season opened on December 2, 1991, against the University of Detroit, but did not all play at the same time until December 7, against Eastern Michigan, and did not start regularly until February 9, 1992. In that first game starting together, the five freshmen scored all the team's points against Notre Dame.[12][13] They started as a unit in all but one of the season's remaining games.[14] They reached the 1992 and 1993 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship games as both freshmen and sophomores. But most of their wins and both of their Final Four appearances were vacated because Webber accepted financial aids from Ed Martin that compromised his amateur status.

The Fab Five during their sophomore year at Crisler Arena, March 1993. From left to right, Jimmy King, Jalen Rose, Chris Webber, Ray Jackson, Juwan Howard.

As students, they wore black athletic shoes, black athletic socks,[15] and baggy basketball shorts, which were an affront to conventional college basketball attire at that time.

Originally, the players rebelled against the moniker and attempted to give themselves the nickname "Five Times" (written "5X's").[16]

In the elite eight round of the 1992 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, Michigan had a rematch against a Jimmy Jackson-led Ohio State Buckeyes team that had beaten them twice during the regular season by double digits.[17] Michigan won the rematch as the Fab Five scored all but two Wolverines points.[18][19] Despite their talent, they never won a Big Ten Regular Season Championship or NCAA Championship. They reached the NCAA championship game as freshmen in 1992 and again as sophomores in 1993. They lost to Duke 71–51 in the 1992 title game[20] and 77–71 to North Carolina in 1993,[21] a game remembered mostly for Webber's costly "timeout", which resulted in a technical foul as Michigan had no timeouts remaining. Many criticized the five after the Duke loss in particular for mocking and insulting Duke guard Bobby Hurley's appearance and playing style, which followed the Fab Five's earlier hatred of Duke superstar Christian Laettner (in the ESPN movie about them, Rose noted that he had thought Laettner was overrated but realized when the two teams faced off in the 1991-92 regular season that Laettner was a great player).

Webber earned second-team All-Big Ten Conference recognition in 1992 and first-team recognition in 1993. Howard received honorable mention in 1992, second-team selection in 1993 and first-team selection in 1994. Rose was a third-team selection in 1993 and first-team selection in 1994. King was an honorable mention selection in 1993 and 1994 and a third-team selection in 1995. Jackson was an honorable mention selection in 1994 and second-team selection in 1995.[22]

Four of the five members went on to play in the NBA. Only Jackson did not. King played two seasons. Howard was a one-time NBA All-Star and won two NBA championship rings with the Miami Heat. Rose grew as a player between 1999 and 2003, leading the Indiana Pacers in scoring the year they reached the NBA Finals, 2000. Webber was an NBA All-Star and the leading scorer on the Sacramento Kings team that reached the Western Conference Finals, in 2002. As a member of the Miami Heat, Howard became the first and only member of the Fab Five to win an NBA championship, in 2012. Though he was old by NBA standards at that point and played limited minutes, his leadership and high basketball IQ were huge assets for both the 2012 Heat and the 2013 team that repeated as champions; Howard's time in Miami led to his becoming an assistant coach of the team after he retired from playing, and that in turn led to his being hired to coach his alma mater, where he remained until 2024.

Members

Chris Webber

Main article: Chris Webber

After graduating from Detroit Country Day School, where he led his team to three MHSAA basketball titles and won state and national high school Gatorade Player of the Year awards and McDonald's All-American Game MVP, Webber attended the University of Michigan for two years. Chris Webber had drawn attention from colleges all around the country because of his dunks in 7th grade AAU basketball.

On April 5, 1993, at Michigan's second consecutive NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship game, Webber infamously called a time-out with 11 seconds left in the game when his team, down 73–71, did not have any remaining, which resulted in a technical foul that effectively clinched the game for North Carolina. That season, Webber was a first team All-American selection and a finalist for the John R. Wooden Award and Naismith College Player of the Year.[23] These awards and honors have been vacated due to University of Michigan and NCAA sanctions related to the University of Michigan basketball scandal.

Webber was the first of the Fab Five to leave school, doing so after his sophomore year. He was drafted #1 overall by the Orlando Magic in the 1993 NBA draft, but was traded on draft night to the Golden State Warriors for Penny Hardaway. He played with five teams over his fifteen-year career and had his #4 retired by the Sacramento Kings, with whom he spent a majority of those years. He is now an analyst for TNT. Webber holds NBA career averages of 20.7 points per game, 9.8 rebounds per game, 4.2 assists per game, and 1.4 blocks per game. He was selected to the NBA All-Star game five times during his fifteen-year NBA career. On May 16, 2021, it was announced that Webber would be a part of the 2021 Basketball Hall of Fame Class.

Jalen Rose

Main article: Jalen Rose

The son of former NBA player Jimmy Walker, Jalen Rose was a star at Southwestern High School in Detroit; he can be seen at a high school All-American camp in the documentary film Hoop Dreams. Rose attended the University of Michigan, where the Wolverines reached two NCAA Finals games in 1992 and 1993, finishing as national runners-up both times. Rose was a part of Wolverines coach Steve Fisher's 1991 recruiting class. He led the Fab Five in scoring during his freshman year, averaging 17.6 points per game, and set the school freshman scoring record with 597 total points. Aside from being the most outspoken of the Fab Five, Rose also was their point guard and leader. During his career he scored over 1700 points, and had 400 rebounds, 400 assists, and 100 steals. Of the players called before the grand jury (Robert Traylor, Webber, Rose, Maurice Taylor, and Louis Bullock), he was the only one not listed as having received large amounts of money.[citation needed]

Rose left Michigan after his junior year, and was picked by the Denver Nuggets in the 1994 NBA draft. He played most of his NBA career with the Indiana Pacers and was a key member of the teams that went to three consecutive Eastern Conference Finals in the late 1990s and the 2000 NBA Finals Pacer team. He finished his career in 2007 with the Phoenix Suns.

Juwan Howard

Main article: Juwan Howard

Howard had a successful career at Chicago Vocational Career Academy, and can be seen playing in the high school basketball documentary Hoop Dreams. He left Michigan after his junior year, and was drafted fifth overall in the 1994 NBA draft by the Washington Bullets for whom he played until 2001. Although the Fab Five final four appearances were later vacated,[24] he was not among the players called before the grand jury (as were Robert Traylor, Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Maurice Taylor, and Louis Bullock).

Howard was the only member of the Fab Five still playing in the NBA through the 2011–12 season; he played for eight teams in 16 seasons. He was a member of the Portland Trail Blazers in 2009–10, and was a member of the Miami Heat for the 2010–11 and 2011–12 seasons. He played for the Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks which the Heat lost, and he saw limited action during the Heat's successful postseason run following the 2011–12 season. Howard has played for eight different NBA franchises including the Washington Wizards, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Orlando Magic, Houston Rockets, Charlotte Bobcats, Portland Trail Blazers, and Miami Heat. He holds NBA career averages of 13.8 points per game, 6.3 rebounds per game, and 2.3 assists per game.

On June 21, 2012, Howard won the NBA championship with the Miami Heat, becoming the only member of the Fab Five to win a championship.

Howard was signed by the Miami Heat once again during the 2013 season to a 10-day contract, on March 2, and then re-signed to a second 10-day contract on March 12. The Miami Heat announced on March 22 that they signed Howard for the remainder of the season. Per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. Howard was an assistant coach with the Miami Heat from 2014 to 2019. Howard won his second NBA Championship, repeating against the San Antonio Spurs, winning in the American Airlines Arena closing out a Game 7.

On May 22, 2019, Howard was announced as the head coach for the University of Michigan. He replaced John Beilein, who accepted the head coaching position for the Cleveland Cavaliers. He remained with the team until his eventual firing at the conclusion of a losing 2023-24 season.

Jimmy King

Main article: Jimmy King

King was a starter for teams that reached the tournament four times. Before this, he was a high school All-American basketball player at Plano East Senior High School in Plano, a city north of Dallas. Although the Fab Five final four appearances are forfeited,[24] he was not among the players called before the grand jury. King and Ray Jackson were the only two members of the Fab Five that did not leave school early for the draft, staying with Michigan for their entire four years of eligibility.

King was selected in the second round (35th overall) in the 1995 NBA draft by the Toronto Raptors. He played in a total of 64 games in 2 seasons with the Raptors and Denver Nuggets, and made one start for the Raptors in 1996. King played for the Quad City Thunder (a CBA team) for most of his career. King retired with a career average of 4.5 points after the 1996–97 season.

In a phone interview on The Jim Rome Show on November 30, 2006, King stated he was currently working as a financial advisor for Merrill Lynch on Wall Street. During the 2008–09 Michigan Wolverines season, King served as a radio color commentator.

Ray Jackson

Main article: Ray Jackson (basketball)

Although the Fab Five Final Four appearances have been vacated,[24] Ray Jackson was not among the players called before the grand jury (Robert Traylor, Webber, Rose, Maurice Taylor, and Louis Bullock)[25] in the University of Michigan basketball scandal and was not found to have received large amounts of money.[26]

Perhaps the least known of the Fab Five, Jackson was not drafted into nor did he play in the NBA. He was cut in preseason by the New York Knicks before the 1995–96 season and cut by the Detroit Pistons before the 1996–97 season. He was drafted into the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) by the Grand Rapids Hoops as 35th pick overall in the 3rd round in 1995.

While with the Hoops, he received the 1995–96 CBA Rookie of the Year Award.

In a February 10, 2007, article on Yahoo! Sports, Jackson says that: "It took me a long time to get over the fact that I was the only one that didn't make it to the NBA from the Fab Five, but I'm over it because I'm back home and I'm happy with what I'm doing with my life."

Jackson now lives in Austin, Texas, where he runs a moving company and Rise Up Inc., a not-for-profit organization that assists children socially, educationally, and on the basketball court.[27]

Stats

Season stats

1991–92 season
Season Name GP GS Min MPG FG FGA FG% 3FG 3FGA 3FG% FT FTA FT% OR DR RB RPG Ast APG PF DQ TO Stl Blk Pts PPG
1991–92 Jalen Rose 34 33 1132 33.3 206 424 0.486 36 111 0.324 149 197 0.756 52 94 146 4.3 135 4 75 0 114 38 8 597 17.6
1991–92 Chris Webber 34 34 1090 32.1 229 412 0.556 14 54 0.259 56 113 0.496 128 212 340 10 76 2.2 99 5 95 54 84 528 15.5
1991–92 Juwan Howard 34 31 956 28.1 150 333 0.45 0 2 0.000 77 112 0.688 66 146 212 6.2 62 1.8 107 3 99 14 21 377 11.1
1991–92 Jimmy King 34 21 955 28.1 128 258 0.496 28 60 0.467 53 72 0.736 33 79 112 3.3 78 2.3 53 0 72 28 9 337 9.9
1991–92 Ray Jackson 34 15 592 17.4 66 121 0.545 2 10 0.2 21 46 0.457 47 56 103 3 58 1.7 79 3 52 24 11 155 4.6
1992–93 season
Season Name GP GS Min MPG FG FGA FG% 3FG 3FGA 3FG% FT FTA FT% OR DR RB RPG Ast APG PF DQ TO Stl Blk Pts PPG
1992–93 Chris Webber 36 36 1138 31.6 281 454 0.619 27 80 0.338 101 183 0.552 155 207 362 10.1 90 2.5 102 4 105 49 90 690 19.2
1992–93 Jalen Rose 36 36 1234 34.3 203 455 0.446 33 103 0.320 116 161 0.721 37 113 150 4.2 140 3.9 82 1 113 43 15 555 15.4
1992–93 Juwan Howard 36 36 1135 31.5 206 407 0.506 0 2 0.000 112 160 0.700 94 173 267 7.4 69 1.9 99 3 92 21 14 524 14.6
1992–93 Jimmy King 36 36 1174 32.6 148 291 0.509 37 92 0.402 57 88 0.648 58 101 159 4.4 110 3.1 75 2 84 57 19 390 10.8
1992–93 Ray Jackson 29 26 657 22.7 105 213 0.493 2 13 0.154 50 79 0.633 46 72 118 4.1 67 2.3 78 3 53 27 10 262 9.0
1993–94 season
Season Name GP GS Min MPG FG FGA FG% 3FG 3FGA 3FG% FT FTA FT% OR DR RB RPG Ast APG PF DQ TO Stl Blk Pts PPG
1993–94 Jalen Rose 32 32 1154 36.1 220 477 0.461 55 155 0.355 141 192 0.734 53 129 182 5.7 126 3.9 84 2 85 38 6 636 19.9
1993–94 Juwan Howard 30 30 1048 34.9 261 469 0.556 1 7 0.143 102 151 0.675 95 175 270 9 71 2.4 99 5 78 44 21 625 20.8
1993–94 Jimmy King 29 29 932 32.1 139 284 0.489 29 87 0.333 51 79 0.646 49 63 112 3.9 76 2.6 69 3 76 44 12 358 12.3
1993–94 Ray Jackson 31 31 931 30 136 277 0.491 7 34 0.206 75 110 0.682 74 121 195 6.3 82 2.6 5 35 11 354 11.4
1994–95 season
Season Name GP GS Min MPG FG FGA FG% 3FG 3FGA 3FG% FT FTA FT% OR DR RB RPG Ast APG PF DQ TO Stl Blk Pts PPG
1994–95 Ray Jackson 31 31 1040 33.5 177 370 0.478 24 78 0.308 113 146 0.774 64 99 163 5.3 93 3 89 2 115 33 10 491 15.8
1994–95 Jimmy King 31 31 1059 34.2 168 388 0.433 28 109 0.257 93 137 0.679 48 107 155 5 90 2.9 72 0 94 58 5 457 14.7

Total stats

Cumulative statistics
Player G Pts Reb Ast Blk Stl
King 130 1,541 538 354 45 187
Jackson 125 1,228 579 300 42 119
Rose 102 1,788 477 401 29 119
Howard 100 1,526 749 202 56 79
Webber 70 1,218 702 166 174 103

References

  1. ^ Neumann, Thomas (2011-03-11). "Michigan's Fab Five in their own words". ESPN. Retrieved 2011-03-17.
  2. ^ Wieberg, Steve (March 28, 2002). "Fab Five anniversary falls short of fondness". USA Today. Retrieved 2002-03-28.
  3. ^ Strauss, Ben; Gerstner, Joanne C. (2014-03-29). "Kentucky's Five Freshman Looking to Separate Themselves From Michigan's Fab Five". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-12-07.
  4. ^ "There's only one Fab Five Archived 2006-10-27 at the Wayback Machine", The Cavalier Daily November 12, 2002
  5. ^ "ESPN Films' The Fab Five Becomes ESPN's Highest Rated Documentary". TVbytheNumbers. 2011-03-16. Archived from the original on 2011-03-20. Retrieved 2011-03-17.
  6. ^ Weisman, Jon (2011-03-16). "'Fab Five' sets ratings record for ESPN". Variety. Archived from the original on 2011-07-17. Retrieved 2011-03-17.
  7. ^ "Remember when ... ?: What life was like when Bird and Magic changed the game". National Collegiate Athletic Association. 2012-10-16. Archived from the original on 2013-01-30. Retrieved 2012-10-22.
  8. ^ Everson, Darren (2011-03-17). "Who Needs Superteams?: This Tourney Has Iconic Names, Injury Wildcards—and Fewer Dominant Teams". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2011-03-18.
  9. ^ "The Fab Five". 30 for 30. 2011-03-13. 120 minutes in. ESPN.
  10. ^ Flores, Ronnie (2012-03-22). "I'm Lovin' It: Great McDonald's moments". ESPN. Retrieved 2013-03-05.
  11. ^ "2013 McDonald's All-American Games Rosters Announced". SLAM Magazine. 2013-02-14. Retrieved 2013-02-14.
  12. ^ Darcy, Kieran (2011-03-19). "Michigan started a trend that's omnipresent". ESPN. Archived from the original on 2011-07-11. Retrieved 2011-03-17.
  13. ^ "College Basketball; Michigan's 5 Freshmen Star as Starters". The New York Times. 1992-02-10. Retrieved 2011-03-18.
  14. ^ Moran, Malcolm (1992-04-01). "College Basketball: Final Four Preview; Michigan Freshmen Aren't in It Just for the Experience". The New York Times. Retrieved 2011-03-20.
  15. ^ Mariotti, Jay (1993-04-04). "Once Again, Fab Five Prove They're No Fad". Chicago Sun-Times. p. 2, sports section.
  16. ^ Adande, J. A. (1992-11-26). "High Time for UM's 'Five Times'". Chicago Sun-Times. p. 125, sports section.
  17. ^ Boers, Terry (1992-03-29). "Michigan's 'Fab Five' vow to have their say". Chicago Sun-Times.
  18. ^ Smith, Timothy W. (1992-03-30). "College Basketball: Surprise! (Michigan) Surprise (Cincinnati)!: Freshmen Score 73". The New York Times. p. C1. Retrieved 2011-03-19.
  19. ^ Hanley, Brian (1992-03-30). "Who'll reign – and who'll wane?". Chicago Sun-Times.
  20. ^ 1992 NCAA Basketball National Championship Game on YouTube
  21. ^ 1993 National Championship Game on YouTube
  22. ^ "University of Michigan Record Book: All-Time Accolades" (PDF). CBS Interactive. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-04-01. Retrieved 2011-03-20.
  23. ^ Jindrick, Mike. "The Under-Appreciated Scapegoat: Chris Webber". legalball.com. Archived from the original on May 6, 2007. Retrieved February 26, 2007.
  24. ^ a b c 2007–08 Men's Basketball Media Guide. University of Michigan. 2007. p. 8.
  25. ^ Larcom, Geoff (2000-10-19). "Former U-M assistant testifies in Martin case: Also, prosecutors issue two indictments of Martin's associates". Ann Arbor News. Michigan Live LLC. Archived from the original on January 10, 2003. Retrieved 2008-08-21.
  26. ^ "Text of the indictment". Ann Arbor News. Michigan Live LLC. 2002-03-22. Archived from the original on February 24, 2003. Retrieved 2008-08-19.
  27. ^ "Not just fifth of the Fab Five, Ray Jackson returns to Michigan at peace". mlive. 2016-10-07. Retrieved 2021-03-06.
Categories