Chris Webber Q&A: Talking Hall of Fame nomination, Dirk Nowitzki, MVP race
Chris Webber, a former No. 1 overall pick and five-time NBA All-Star who was recently selected as a finalist for the Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2017, spoke to Paste BN Sports in a wide-ranging phone interview on Wednesday. He shed light on his Hall of Fame nomination, his new role with Turner Sports, the neck-and-neck NBA MVP race, Dirk Nowitzki's 30,000-point milestone and what it was like to be a part of "the greatest era of power forwards" in NBA history.
Q: What was your initial reaction when you got the news that you made it out of the first round of the (Hall of Fame) voting?
A: I was happy. I didn't know ... I think (ESPN's) Rachel Nichols let me know that I was (a finalist). It was a pretty special moment to hear that I was a finalist. You never know what's gonna happen, but that moment was pretty special. It's just humbling. (I'm) at a loss for words whenever I try to describe how it feels, but it's definitely an honor.
Q: We're less than a month away from (the Hall of Fame inductees) being officially announced at the Final Four (on April 3). Is the anticipation starting to build for you? Have you had the chance to sit back and just think, 'Damn, this whole thing is real. It's real life?'
A: You know what, I don't think about — until you just said (a month) — I really didn't think about it. I mean, it's getting realer and realer by the moment. What I have tried to do, though, is really just make sure I thanked all the people that had an impact in my life, from my parents to my family to coaches I was blessed to have and other people that kept me on a straightened arrow, because there were a lot of kids I grew up with that didn't have the support system that I had. So I just really thank all the people that encouraged me. More than understanding how it's gonna feel or what it really means, I've kind of just really thanked the people that helped me get to this point. I think that's a good technique, and it's a hell of a distraction as well. That's how I try to look at it.
Q: Hey, well, you have this new gig now to pass the time. Can you talk a little bit about the TNT Players Only broadcasts? Obviously you have plenty of experience behind the microphone, but they have you manning the studio now. What's it been like?
(Editor's note: On Feb. 27, TNT debuted its "Players Only" broadcasts, which air every Monday night, to give fans the game experience "exclusively through the unique lens of the professional basketball player." All commentator roles are made up of former NBA players, including play-by-play, reporter and studio host positions.)
A: Man, it's been incredible. Turner, they're known in sports for being the innovators, leading the way. The (NBA on TNT) Thursday night show, in my opinion, is the best show in sports on TV. So the fact that we get to, not necessarily compete against anybody because we know that Thursday's the staple with Chuck (Charles Barkley), Shaq, EJ (Ernie Johnson), those guys, just how great of a show it is. So that gives us a lot of freedom to be ourselves, to not compete against anyone, to have fun. But it's exciting, man. I'm thankful that they trusted me with (the studio host) position and I want to make sure I reward them with hard work and I come through for them. ... The minute that I heard about the idea, I couldn't believe it. I was like 'You guys are crazy.' I'm glad I'm part of the madness with them.
Q: Is broadcasting something that you plan on doing for a long time?
A: It is, definitely. I hope to be involved in basketball for a long time, whether in management or working here at Turner. I love to do the games and stay close to the games. This new opportunity, being in the studio and working with guys like EJ and Marv Albert and Dick Stockton and Kevin Harlan, it's so much fun. I hope to continue to get better, but yeah, I definitely take this serious and I want to make sure I give it my all when I'm doing it.
Q: You talked about TNT Thursday night's being the best show in sports. Coming up this Thursday night, you're calling that Spurs-Thunder matchup, but really it's more of the Russell Westbrook-Kawhi Leonard matchup. There's such a tight race for the MVP right now, specifically (after) what Kawhi did with Houston the other night. There's probably four guys making really, really strong cases for MVP right now. If the season ended today, who would you pick for the MVP?
A: That's a tough one. I think it's gonna have to come down to the end, but for me — it's hard not to look at (James) Harden, Westbrook, Kawhi, and of course LeBron (James). Whether it's that we're used to what (James) does or the fact that he has players like Kyrie Irving that have bigger names ... he doesn't get the credit. But for me, I don't think people respect how hard it is to average a triple-double (like Westbrook is). And I don't mean physically, I mean mentally. Mentally, every night to be prepared. Mentally, every night to be focused, be willing to take an elbow to the mouth, be willing to get hurt going in against 7-footers, it's amazing to me. I've never seen anything like it and I hope it doesn't take (a while) for us (to see it again). Because it's not gonna happen next year. He's not gonna be anywhere close to it next year. I don't know when we're gonna see this again, so I hope that we can appreciate it while it's happening and not necessarily discount it because we're getting used to it.
Q: Switching gears, talking a little bit about something that seems like the whole basketball world appreciates — what we saw from Dirk (Nowitzki on Tuesday night). Having gone toe-to-toe with him, having been an elite power forward yourself and now watching him still be productive, albeit more limited than it used to be — can you put his career and the accomplishment that he reached (Tuesday night) into perspective?
GALLERY: DIRK NOWITZKI THROUGH THE YEARS
A: I think when you just see the names (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain) that his name stands by with his accomplishment of scoring 30,000 points, it's pretty self explanatory. He's one of the baddest offensive players to walk this planet. Having to guard him, he's one of the toughest guys I had to guard in the league. He left this imprint. He's definitely part of that power forward culture, that transition to these guys today, to the (Giannis) Antetokounmpos to guys that can step out and shoot the three and space the floor to the (Kevin) Durants ... it's something I never dreamed of seeing, even though we had Magic (Johnson) playing 6-9 point guard, we knew he was a facilitator. We didn't imagine the type of scoring that Dirk has done. The longevity, his winning, it speaks for itself, man. I'm happy for him and proud of his accomplishments. That's something that you can only dream of, 30,000 points.
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Q: He's obviously not the only elite, legendary power forward that you matched up with during your career. There's always that argument, 'Was Tim Duncan a four or a five?' But assuming you list Tim Duncan as a power forward and you list him as the greatest power forward ever, who would you have as No. 2? And the reason I ask that, I've been seeing so much out there, specifically after (Tuesday night), this era of power forwards ... it's Tim Duncan (at No. 1) and then there's so many guys that can make that argument for No 2.
A: Yeah, and I would just leave it at that, that there are so many other guys. ... I think (I) played in the greatest era of power forwards, when on any given night on the West Coast, I would play against Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, Dirk Nowitzki, Rasheed Wallace, KG (Kevin Garnett) and Tim Duncan. So, (there were) a lot of great players during that era, and we all stand alone. To compare (Nowitzki) to anyone else would be cheating his legacy. ... If you need a bucket 20 years from now, he's gonna be one of the first people that you call. I just think it's pretty cool what he's accomplished.
Q: You touched on Barkley, he's obviously part of the Turner team, and so is Shaq, who's one of the greatest centers ever. They're two of the best personalities on TV right now, there's no question. But sometimes, particularly recently ... they don't necessarily hold their tongue (during broadcasts). They've been getting, not necessarily in the negative spotlight, but they've definitely been talked about lately for getting personal, whether it was (O'Neal's) JaVale McGee (feud) or (Barkley's) LeBron (comments), or what have you. With broadcasting now being a big part of your life, what's your stance on (player-analyst feuds)?
A: When I first got into the game (as a player in 1993) I was worried about what guys would say. I didn't like what guys said, I didn't like what Barkley said at times, I didn't like what a lot of people said at times. That's just the nature of the business. The one rule I have is I'll never talk about a guy's character, because I don't know the guy. But besides that, I don't care if a guy gets pissed at me because I've been in every single position that a player has been in. I've had the pressure on me, I've been the best player on a team, I've had the most criticisms. We all know that if you're the man on your team, you get more accolades than you should and you get more of the blame than you should. That's just the way that it is.
With players, we have a quiet understanding. I have respect and I admire what they do. I'm a fan of the game. I want to be an ambassador, like a John Madden. I don't wish to go back and prove anything, to play against a guy. I don't have a dog in the race, and I think (today's players) know that through the humility I try to show by being a fan of theirs and by letting everyone know how good they are. I definitely don't mind calling it like I see it. Guys have called me after games and said, 'I think that was unfair or I think it was fair,' and we've talked it out and we've always had a good ending. ... My whole thing is, don't talk about a guy's character, to have fun with the game but to call it like I see it and if they don't like it, so what?
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