BBC SPORT | Other Sports | US Sport | No place like home for Webber

A seven-year deal worth $123m - it was good to feel wanted again.

But he hasn't always been such a sought-after commodity.

Webber was traded three times in his first five years in the league and has experienced more than his fair share of ups and downs.

At college he was part of Michigan's Fab Five - a line-up of freshmen who made history by going all the way to the 1992 NCAA Championship game.

Foul

A year later they also reached the season clincher, but Webber's infamous "timeout" blunder ended their hopes of a title.

Trailing by two points in the closing stages, Webber attempted to call a timeout.

But Michigan had already used their allocation and his team were handed a technical foul that effectively ended the game.

Despite his costly mistake, Webber declared early for the NBA Draft.

His decision was vindicated when he became the first sophomore to be the number one pick since Magic Johnson in 1979.

Chris Webber and international team-mate Hedo Turkoglu
Webber has emerged as a leader for the Kings
He was selected first by Orlando, seemingly to form an intimidating frontcourt alongside Shaquille O'Neal.

But it was not to be as he was shipped off to Golden State without ever playing for the Magic.

The Warriors gave up point-guard Penny Hardaway - the third pick - along with three first round picks.

It seemed like a bargain when he became the youngest player to win Rookie of the Year honours after an outstanding first season.

But his early years were a mixture of failure and frustration.

While Hardaway prospered alongside O'Neal in Orlando, Webber found life tough with the Warriors.

Kings level series

His relationship with coach Don Nelson was strained and he struggled with the burden of carrying a poor side on his young shoulders.

Webber was traded to Washington after just a year with Golden State.

In DC his career blossomed again alongside former Fab Five team-mate Juwan Howard.

The athletic power forward was an All-Star for the first time in 1997 and widely regarded as the one of the best big men in the game.

But at the end of the 1997-98 season Webber was on his way again, traded to a Sacramento side that had won just 27 of 82 regular season games.

In his first year back in California Webber helped the Kings to a 27-23 record in a lock-out shortened year.

Perfect fit

It was their first winning season since the franchise had moved from Kansas City in 1983.

Webber and the Kings were a perfect fit.

One of the original NBA teams in 1948 the franchise was in its fourth city.

Having started off as the Rochester Royals they bounced around to Cincinnati and Kansas where they became the Kings before moving to Sacramento.

Despite boasting former players like NBA legends Nate Archibald and Oscar Robertson the Kings have just one NBA title in 53 years of trying.

But the future for Webber and Sacramento is bright.

The Kings had the best record in the NBA in the 2001-2002 regular season, playing a refreshing brand of basketball in front of one of the noisiest crowds in the NBA.

Their team is young and hungry, with an exciting mix of US and European stars, including a Serb, a Yugoslav and a Turk.

NBA's foreign invasion

But the crown jewel in the Kings' locker room is Webber.

In typical fashion Webber's best year on the court has been offset by persistent allegations that he accepted illegal payments while he was at college.

But at least he is feeling wanted again.


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