NBA ALL-STAR WEEKEND

February 11, 2001

Chris Webber

CHRIS WEBBER: Well, I didn't start here, but it really felt good to come back here and just to be a part of this event. You know, I just remember being at home dreaming about wanting to be an All-Star and watching Magic, Michael, Charles Barkley, those guys and wanting to be a part of it. And each time I have been an All-Star, it has just really reminded me of my youth and how much I just love playing the game. I'm just happy my family got to come out and I'm glad it was a good game.

CHRIS WEBBER: They told me if I could have caught it, it would not have counted, but a great play with two great shooters, Kobe and Tim. You know, you always want the ball in the good shooters' hands, and any of those guys on the court really could have been capable of making it, and they made a good play, but it just didn't fall in. I tried to tip it, but it was just a little too late.

CHRIS WEBBER: No. I really can't. They outscored us by 20 in the last quarter. They went to the line a lot and they were aggressive, and you can only give them credit. Small guys, really advanced the ball and took it at us. We wanted to make it interesting, and they ended up winning.

CHRIS WEBBER: Well, for me, I had a chance this weekend to meet some great players, Elvin Hayes, Archibald, I got to meet so many players and talk to them. If anything it just energizes me. I'm still a fan of basketball, and to be able to meet the first power forwards, being able to meet all of these great players, it makes you want to work that much more harder. Just, if anything, it reenergized me, and man, I'm just -- it makes you ready to go, that these guys know your name; that the greatest players in the world know your name. It makes you feel good as a basketball player and to be accepted by your peers and especially those who have played the game and moved on it is just the greatest compliment in the world for me. If anything, it just energizes me and makes me want to work harder and you don't want to let them down.

CHRIS WEBBER: I've been on teams with great camaraderie but our team is, I mean, so close. I liken us to like a Major League Baseball movie with so many different personalities and everybody gets along so well together. And those are my European brothers and I wanted them to do well last night. I bet all the other guys that Peja would win the 3-point contest. I helped Peja practice for the 3-point contest. He's a great individual, only 23 years old, one of the best shooters if not the best in the game. And Vlade is probably one of the best passing centers that is playing right now. So not only do we play well together, but we have a lot of fun together. They are our families and our friends, we are friends off the court and not many people can say that. I love those guys and I love playing with them.

CHRIS WEBBER: Well, we started the game forgetting about All-Star. We wanted to try to punish them early in the game. You know, I think the game was very competitive. Even when you were not making shots and missing shots, I think the one thing you have to respect about the League is that no matter who you play, when you play, or how they are playing at that time, there's always another shot for them, and great players can go over 15 and make, you know, 10 shots in a row. And that's the biggest thing about it is the fear of another team coming back and winning on you.

CHRIS WEBBER: Oh, man, I would have to say -- I really don't have one memory. It was good watching Peja in the 3-point contest. It was great not being a competitor with the four power forwards and just being able to talk the game with them and pick their brains and just good being in the locker room and having fun.

CHRIS WEBBER: Thank you.

CHRIS WEBBER: Oh, I thought you were saying what was he saying to me out there. You know, your rookie year means a lot to you and he and Chris Mullen, even Avery Johnson, those guys mean a lot to me because they took me and they taught me a lot. They taught me: Eat three hours before the game. This isn't college, you can't eat ten minutes before the game. They taught me so many things about how to take care of yourself, just how to handle this. He was somebody that took me right under his wing right away, and I love his work ethic. I always loved him on the court because he was somebody that -- my first game was against Hakeem Olajuwon, and that night, he said I was better than him, and that's what you need to hear when you are about to face Hakeem, his confidence and just coming over and helping me. We just have a good friendship. Through all of my rough teams he's been there, just a phone call away. And I'm happy to see him, not be accepted again, but happy to see him feel good about the game, feel good about what is going on right now and he deserved to be an All-Star. I'm just happy for him. I'm so happy for him. I'm happy that he's in New York. I'm happy that he's in a place that loves him. I'm happy that he's playing so well, because he deserves it, in my eyes.

CHRIS WEBBER: Oh, man, come on. Me and Vlade were laughing about all of the rumors already and the article in the magazine and all that. I mean, Michael is the Man, you know, after he comes in the room, you've got to bow down. I just hope -- you know, I don't know. I mean, how do you answer that question? I mean, I'm a Sacramento King, but I love Michael.