‘By God’s Grace’: Kings great Chris Webber returns to Sacramento to promote his new book
Kings legend Chris Webber is back in Sacramento this week to promote his new book in a city where his greatness will never be forgotten.
Webber, a Hall of Fame player who starred at Michigan before launching his NBA career, will make a series of appearances in Sacramento to discuss his book, “By God’s Grace.”
The book explores the basketball journey and life lessons of a marvelously gifted player who led Sacramento to the brink of an NBA championship during the golden era of Kings basketball. The title borrows a line from Webber’s remarks about Sacramento during his Hall of Fame induction speech.
Webber is scheduled to hold an intimate VIP reading of his book from 4-6 p.m. Thursday at Revival on the third floor of the Kimpton Sawyer Hotel. Each guest will receive a signed copy of the book. Tickets are required. For mor information, visit Kings.com/Webber.
Webber will attend Friday’s game against the Phoenix Suns and Sunday’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers. Fans can purchase his book at Label K, the Kings’ team store inside the arena, and then take part in a meet-and-greet with Webber in Section 111 before both games.
Webber will throw out the ceremonial first pitch when the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats play the El Paso Chihuahuas on Saturday at Sutter Health Park. Before the game, Webber will hold a meet-and-greet session from 5:15 to 6 p.m. at Sactown Smokehouse. The session will be open to anyone who purchases a copy of Webber’s book, which will be available on site.
“My time in Sacramento holds a very special place in my heart,” Webber said in a news release. “I am excited to connect with the fans and share my story with them.”
Webber teamed with Juwan Howard, Jalen Rose, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson to form the Fab Five at Michigan. That group led the Wolverines to two NCAA championship games before the team’s achievements were vacated amid the fallout from the Michigan basketball scandal.
The Orlando Magic selected Webber with the No. 1 pick in the 1993 NBA draft and immediately traded him to the Golden State Warriors in a deal involving Penny Hardaway. Webber was named Rookie of the Year in 1994, but the Warriors traded him to the Washington Bullets due to his differences with coach Don Nelson.
Webber spent four seasons with Washington before he was traded to Sacramento on May 14, 1998, in exchange for Mitch Richmond and Otis Thorpe. Webber initially did not want to come to Sacramento, but he grew to love and embrace the city while enjoying the best years of his career. Webber joined forces with the likes of Jason Williams, Peja Stojakovic, Vlade Divac and later Bobby Jackson, Doug Christie, Mike Bibby and Brad Miller to form a team that became a global phenomenon.
The Kings made eight consecutive playoff appearances under Hall of Fame coach Rick Adelman. They won a franchise-record 61 games to earn the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference in 2001-02. That team advanced to the conference finals before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in an epic and controversial seven-game series.
Webber retired in 2008 as a five-time All-Star and All-NBA selection. He averaged 20.7 points, 9.8 points and 4.2 assists over the course of his 15-year career. His best years were spent in Sacramento, where he averaged 23.5 points, 10.6 rebounds and 4.8 assists over seven glorious seasons. Webber produced his finest season in 2000-01, averaging a career-high 27.1 points, 11.1 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.7 blocks and 1.3 steals.
Webber was immortalized among the game’s all-time greats when he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021. He was enshrined in the same class as Adelman and former Sacramento Monarchs star Yolanda Griffith.
During his induction speech, Webber spoke poignantly about his parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, coaches, teammates, teachers and the time he spent at Michigan as a member of the fabled Fab Five. It took more than 12 minutes for Webber to mention Sacramento, but he was saving the best for last.
“And now to the best fans in the world, to the Sacramento Kings, I just want to talk a little bit about God’s grace,” Webber said. “I want to talk about the fact that God has to lead you and you’re not always supposed to know where you’re going or how good it’s going to be when you come out on the other side. It’s just about trusting Him, trusting God, trusting the process. Sacramento, my faith will forever be strong because God gave me you.”
