Home Hooping: The Chris Webber & Derrick Coleman Story.

Home is the starting place of love, hope, and dreams. It is also where you sometimes have to leave to find the true you. Leaving home is tricky, but occasionally, you must leave home to unlock your true potential. For athletes, more specifically basketball players, you don’t get a choice about whether you get to go home or not. The NBA gives players opportunities to live in different cities and do some amazing things in those cities.

There are rare opportunities where you don’t initially have to leave home. Dave DeBusschere went to high school and played college ball in Detroit. After a brief stint in Chicago to play baseball, DeBusschere would find his way back to Detroit, playing for his hometown team. Eric Money was a Kettering High School legend who helped the school win the Detroit Public School title in 1971. After two seasons in Arizona, Money was back in Detroit, playing for the Pistons.

This week, I will talk about two Detroit legends—one who left to do great things in college and had a career of ups and downs. The other dominated Michigan’s high school and college scene and had a fantastic career in the NBA until injuries derailed his momentum. What do these two players have in common? Both came home to play for the hometown Detroit Pistons and do some fantastic things in the Detroit area post-retirement. This is the story of Chris Webber and Derrick Coleman and how their career came full circle back to being home in Detroit.

Derrick Coleman

Originally from Mobile, Alabama, Derrick Coleman moved to Detroit at a young age. During his time at the school, Coleman would go from being an unknown prospect to becoming one of the country’s most sought-after players. In his senior year, he finished 4th in the Mr. Basketball award for the state of Michigan, losing to Terry Mills. Despite interest from Michigan and Michigan State, Coleman went to Syracuse University to be coached by the legendary Jim Boheim. Coleman’s choice to go to Syracuse was heavily influenced by Detroit Pistons legend Dave Bing, who also went to Syracuse.

Dominance At Syracuse.

In Derrick Coleman’s four seasons at the school, he averaged 15.0 PTS, 10.7 REBS, 2.3 ASTS, 1.3 STLS, and 2.2 BLKS. He went 114-30, making the Big East All-Conference First Team three times and the Third Team once. Coleman also won Big East Player Of The Year in his senior season. He left the school as the all-time leading rebounder in NCAA history (surpassed by Tim Duncan) and the school’s all-time leading scorer. Upon graduation, the New Jersey Nets would select Coleman first overall in the 1990 NBA Draft.

Derrick Coleman in New Jersey.

Derrick Coleman came to the Nets to prove his worth as the number 1 pick. Coleman averaged 18.4 PTS, 10.3 REBS, 2.2 ASTS, 1.0 STLS, and 1.3 BLKS in his first season. Those numbers were good enough to award him Rookie of the Year honors and be selected to the all-rookie first team. Young players such as Kenny Anderson, Chris Morris, and Mookie Blaylock mixed with veterans such as Sam Bowie, Terry Mills, and Drazen Petrovic, the Nets made the playoffs in his second season. Coleman averaged 19.8 PTS, 9.5 REBS, 3.2 ASTS, and 1.5 BLKS.

Coleman’s next two seasons in Jersey were the peak of Derrick Coleman’s career. He averaged 20.5 PTS, 11.3 REBS, 3.5 ASTS, 1.0 STLS, and 1,8 BLKS. He made his only all-star appearance during the 93-94 season and made the all-NBA 3rd team both seasons. After a solid 94-95 season, Coleman was surprisingly traded to the Sixers. The Sixers were expecting some great things with Coleman in the fold, along with Jerry Stackhouse.

Small Sample Size.

Derrick Colemans’ first season in Philadelphia was cut short to 11 games. The following two seasons in Philadelphia saw Coleman show flashes of his potential. The problem was he couldn’t stay healthy playing in 57 and 59 games, respectively. Coleman would go on to sign with the Charlotte Hornets, but the injuries limited him to just 145 games played in three seasons. Derrick would be re-acquired by the Sixers, where he averaged 11.2 PTS and 7.4 REBS in 156 games.

Playing For The Pistons.

Derrick Coleman found his career coming full circle when he was traded to the Detroit Pistons. After some up-and-down years, playing for the Pistons allowed Coleman to be part of a legitimate title contender. The Pistons saw it another way. With Ben Wallace, Rasheed Wallace, Antonio McDyess, and Elden Campbell, Coleman didn’t play for the Pistons. He didn’t make an impact on the floor playing basketball, but he sure made an impact on November 19, 2004.

The Pistons played the Pacers in a highly anticipated matchup. The Pacers were winning the game 97-82 when Ron Artest shoved Ben Wallace. Ben shoved back, and a massive pushing and shoving match ensued between the two teams. Derrick Coleman emerged from the bench (automatic one-game suspension) and joined the incident. Coleman has been reported telling Stephen Jackson that he would do great harm to him. Considering his Linwood and Clairmount background, I believe him. Coleman wasn’t the piece the pistons felt they needed when it was all said and done. He would be waved by the Pistons, ultimately ending his NBA career.

City Legend.

Coleman opened a strip mall in his old neighborhood two years after his release from the Pistons. The retail plaza had a sneaker store, barbershop, pizza place, and cell phone store. The move was received quite well, as it would bring jobs to people in the neighborhood who desperately needed them. Unfortunately, Coleman defaulted on a $200,000.00 loan two years into the project and would be sued. A year later, Coleman would file for bankruptcy. Despite this setback, it didn’t stop him from doing great things in the community.

During the Flint water crisis, Coleman would drive to Flint daily to deliver bottled water and eating utensils. Today, Coleman is the founder of D.C. Elite, a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering the youth as they embark on their unique life paths. Whether pursuing higher education, venturing into entrepreneurship, or any other aspiration, they strive to achieve.

We may question what Derrick Coleman could’ve been on the court, but you can’t question the man he is. Coleman may have had ventures that failed, but he was willing to put his money up. This next guy is a player whose talents we never questioned on the floor. After years of inactivity, his impact is being felt in the city. Let’s talk about Chris Webber.

Chris Webber

Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, Chris Webber didn’t intend to play basketball. We may never have witnessed Webbers’ greatness if his father had not coaxed him into it in elementary school. Webber was tall and uncoordinated, leading to awkward moments on the court. Teammates would make fun of him because of his inability to run and play basketball simultaneously. Fortunately for Webber, a local coach saw some potential in him and tutored him on the fundamentals of the game. Within a few years, Webber began to take well into the game and became a star in the Detroit school system.

Country Day Dominance.

Despite Webber’s resistance to attending the school, he enrolled in Country Day High School, a private school north of Detroit. The Public Schools allowed Webber to hang with the friends he played with in the local church leagues and the Police Athletic League (PAL), but Country Day allowed him to take his game to the next level. Country Day’s head coach, Kurt Keener, knew he had a star when he saw him.

“I still remember seeing him for the first time: They’re showing clips on this highlight show, and on the screen, you see this 6-foot-5, gangly eighth-grader at a small Christian school. He had 19 dunks in that game. He’d grab a board, dribble down the floor, and dunk,” said Keener. “Usually, kids that size at his age are uncoordinated. But not Chris. He was at least a generation ahead in terms of what he could do.”

Head Coach Kurt Keener.

While at the school, Webber led the school to three MHSAA state championships. He averaged 29.4 PTS and 13 REBS his senior season, which earned him the title of Mr. Basketball in Michigan and National High School Player Of The Year. He was also named MVP in the McDonald’s All-American and Dapper Dan All-Star games.

Webber A Spartan?

It’s hard to believe that Chris Webber would’ve been a Michigan State Spartan! His relationship with Tom Izzo has been strong since Webber was fifteen. Webber was very fond of Izzo and how he tried to recruit him to the school. What stopped Webber from attending? Izzo’s coaching title. At the time, Izzo was an assistant coach on Jud Heathcote’s staff.

“He knows if he (had been) the coach at Michigan State, I would have gone to Michigan State. If anyone were to ask him, he would tell you. He cried when he didn’t get me in, and I cried when I didn’t go there.” Webber told the Michigan Daily.

Webber to the Michigan Daily.

Michigan pounced on the misfortunes of the coaching situation at State and got a commitment from Webber. No matter who got C-Webb, He was staying home in Michigan.

U-Of-M

Webber would join fellow Detroiter and good friend Jalen Rose, Chicago native Juwan Howard, Plano East Senior High School Al-American Jimmy King, and Austin, Texas own Ray Jackson. These five highly-touted freshman would become the “Fab 5”. In the two seasons they played together, Webber dominated the competition. He averaged 17.4 PTS, 10.0 REBS, 2.4 ASTS, 1.5 SLTS, and 2.5 BLKS. He was named the Big Ten Freshman Of The Year (92), USWBA Freshman Of The Year (92), and consensus 1st team All-American (93).

Webber would lead the Wolverines to back-to-back National Championship finals, where they lost both. In Webber’s rookie season, The Fab 5 were the first group of freshmen to start a national championship game. In the twelve games he played in the tournament, Webber averaged 18.5 PTS, 10.5 REBS, 2 ASTS, 1.5 STLS, and 2.6 BLKS. The Fab 5 were the first group of freshmen to start a national championship game. With no more to prove at the school and feeling the university was profiting off their popularity with nothing to show financially (We’ll get into that), Webber declared himself eligible for the 1993 NBA draft, ready to embrace a new home.

Almost Playing With Shaquille O’Neal

The Orlando Magic selected Webber as the first overall pick in 1993. This was the second consecutive year that the Magic had picked #1, with the team taking Shaquille O’Neal #1 the previous year. The thought of Chris Webber and Shaquille O’Neal in your frontcourt sounds fantastic, but the Magic felt they needed to go in another direction and add a dynamic point guard to team with Shaq. The Magic and the Warriors facilitated a draft day trade that sent 3rd overall pick Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway and three first-round picks to the Magic for Webber. This is still regarded as one of the biggest draft-day trades in history.

Hello, Goodbye.

Chris Webber arrived at the Warriors and instantly changed the organization’s dynamic. They went from a 34-win team to a 50-win playoff team. Unfortunately, Don Nelson and Chris Webber feuded over how Webber should be used. Nelson wanted Webber to play like a traditional big man and play in the post, while Webber wished to have his dynamic ball handling and playmaking skills on the perimeter. With Nelson’s love for running smaller lineups, Webber played center, which he didn’t like.

Despite efforts to get size on the team to help accommodate Webber, He exercised his one-year opt-out clause in his deal. With no other options, The Warriors traded him to the Washington Bullets for Tom Gugliotta and three first-round picks.

From The East Back To The West.

In Washington, Webber would reunite with fellow “fab 5” member Juwan Howard. In Webbers’ first season in Washington, he averaged 20.1 PTS, 9.6 REBS, and 4.7 AST. The Bullets couldn’t put it all together, and they finished with a regular season record of 21-61 in 94-95. Webbers’ second season in Washington was cut to 15 games due to injuries, but the following year, Webber emerged as one of the best young power forwards in the league. He was named to his first all-star appearance and led the Bullets to the 1st playoff appearance since the 87-88 season.

After being swept by the Bulls in 96-97, Webber had another solid year during the 97-98 season, averaging 21.9 PTS, 9.8 REBS, and 3.8 ASTS. Despite finishing the season with a winning record (42-40), The renamed Wizards didn’t qualify for postseason contention. Washington never felt like home to Webber, and after the season, Webber was traded to the Sacramento Kings.

California Love.

Webber was reluctant to play for the Kings due to their perennial losing seasons. The Kings signed forward Peja Stojakovic and Vlade Divac while also drafting Jason Williams in the 1998 NBA draft 9th overall. With these four players, The Kings would build a culture of winning. Webber would lead the league in rebounding, ending Dennis Rodmans’ seven-year streak. Webber and the Kings would go on to play the Jazz in the playoffs but would be defeated by the veteran-tested Utah team.

In Webber’s next five seasons in Sacramento, He played 289 games, during which the team went 191-98. He amassed 183 double-doubles and eight triple-doubles. It was safe to say that Webber had found a home in Sacramento. The Kings would become one of the best teams in the NBA with aspirations to win the championship. Their best chance came during the 01-02 season when they took the Lakers to seven games. There’s a lot of controversy surrounding that series, but I will not speak on that. Webber would play 46 more games for the Kings before he was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Back East, Back Home.

Webber would team up with Allen Iverson to gear up for a playoff run for the Sixers. His micro-fracture surgery on his knee in 2003 impacted his lateral quickness and his ability to defend. In his 21 games, Webber averaged 15.6 PTS, 7.9 REBS and 3.1 ASTS. Like his days in Sacramento, Webber couldn’t advance in the playoffs as the Pistons eliminated the Sixers. During the 2005-06 season, Webber re-emerged. He averaged 20.2 PTS, 10.0 REBS, and 3.4 AST in 75 games, the most he played since 99-00 with the Kings. While Webber put up numbers, the Sixers finished with a 38-44 record. After being waved by the Sixers, Webber was a free agent looking for a home.

Back In Detroit.

On January 16, 2007, Webber found a home when he signed with the Detroit Pistons. He has stated throughout his career that he always wanted to play for his hometown team. His number 4 had been retired in honor of Joe Dumars, so Webber donned the number 84 because his nephew dreamed of him making a buzzer beater with that number on. The Pistons would go 34-9 in the 43 games he played with the team. He averaged 11.3 PTS, 6.7 REBS, and 3.0 ASTS. While he wasn’t Ben Wallace, Webber’s elite playmaking ability still at his age, combined with the Piston’s “team mentality,” was a match made in heaven.

The Pistons would go to the Eastern Conference finals to face LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Pistons went into the series as the favorite, but LeBron would not be denied a chance at the finals. He willed his team to a 4-2 series win over Detroit, leaving Webber again finals-less. The run in Detroit was short-lived as the Pistons decided not to re-sign Webber after the season, and he ended his career where it started in Golden State.

Love, Hate Relationship

In Detroit, Webber will forever be known as a legend, but there have been some instances where he hasn’t been perceived well. The biggest scandal would be the Ed Martin Scandal. In 2002, Webber was charged with lying to a grand jury as part of a more extensive investigation of a numbers gambling operation run by Michigan basketball program booster. As a result of evidence admitted during Martin’s trial, Webber pleaded guilty to one count of criminal contempt for lying about his role in a scandal in which four players, including himself, had accepted illicit loans from Martin. He was ordered to pay $100,000 and perform 330 hours of community service.

As a result of the investigation, Michigan was forced to disassociate itself from Webber and three other players for ten years. Michigan also forfeited its victory in the 1992 Final Four over Cincinnati and its runner-up status in the 1992 tourney. They also forfeited the 1992–93 season, removed the 1992 and 1993 Final Four banners from the Crisler Arena rafters, and deleted Webber’s records from its record book.

Despite that negative press between himself, the university, and his fab five brothers, Webber has been more involved with the program, even reuniting with Rose, Howard, King, and Jackson. In 2021, Webber broke ground on a 180,000-square-foot, 50 million-dollar cannabis “compound” in southwest Detroit, which will include a marijuana operations and training facility, a cultivation facility, a dispensary, and a cannabis consumption lounge. As of 2023, That project hasn’t yet been completed due to a shift in the cannabis industry in Michigan.

In Conclusion

No matter how long you are away from home, you will find yourself back somehow. The love you get from those who watch you transform from child to man will always be great. Derrick Coleman and Chris Webber did something players dream of playing for their hometown team. The more considerable flex for them is their impact on their investments in Detroit. It’s easy to get your money and forget where you come from; It’s good to see brothers not forgetting.