Op-Ed: When It Comes to the Fab Five, They Are Their Brother’s Keeper

By: Zachary Draves

The site of seeing the Michigan Fab Five reunited at Crisler Center to witness the Wolverines take on their rival Ohio State on MLK Day was not only to behold, but to relish in. It marked the first time all five players (Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King, and Ray Jackson) were together on campus since their playing days in the early 1990s with Howard at the helm as head coach. 

(Courtesy: Paul Sancya/Associated Press)

They were featured on the jumbotron to a thunderous applause in the first half as the other four sat courtside. At halftime, they hugged Howard as they made their way to the locker room and watched as the Wolverines defeated the Buckeyes 73-65. 

It was the culmination of a three decades long journey of friendship, friction, and forgiveness for the group that helped change the game of basketball. 

The story of the Fab Five came to be in the fall of 1991 when the five freshmen arrived at Ann Arbor and took the college basketball world by storm. Their streetball style of play and cultural rebelliousness (bald heads, black socks, and baggy shorts) endeared them to many and evoked the ire of others, but nevertheless they were memorable. 

(Courtesy: Associated Press)

They became major staples of the synergy between hip hop and basketball and were emulated and adored for their authenticity and cultural affinity. 

During their tenure, they were also ahead of their time when it came to the issue of student athletes being compensated when they realized they weren’t getting their share of anything and everything emblazoned with their name, image, and likeness. As a result, they silently protested by wearing a plain blue shirt during warmups that didn’t feature the names Michigan or Nike.

In essence, they were like Public Enemy. They were rebels without a pause who brought the noise. 

They defied all the odds to be NCAA runner ups in 1992 and 1993. The latter of which is most remembered for Webbers’ infamous timeout in the final seconds of their loss to North Carolina.

(Courtesy: Jeff Wheeler/RPA – Minneapolis Star Tribune)

After which, four out of the five, Webber, Rose, King, and Howard, went to the NBA and became journeymen players. 

Then in 2002, a federal investigation revealed that a booster named Ed Martin had given hundreds of thousands of dollars in illicit payments to Michigan players which included Webber. 

It later turned out that Martin, who worked for Ford Motor Company in Detroit, had paid the players money from an illegal gambling operation. 

In 2002, Webber was charged with obstruction of justice for lying to a grand jury as part of the investigation. He was later convicted of criminal contempt and admitted in a plea that he had repaid Martin around $38,000 in 1994 from a prior loan. 

Martin was convicted of tax evasion and robbery and died from a heart attack in February 2003. 

Before Webbers’ indictment, the University of Michigan was hit with major sanctions and announced that it would forfeit games, give back tournament money, and took down the banners of the 1992 and 1993 teams in the Crisler Center. 

The records of the Fab Five were wiped away from the official record books. 

Webber was forbidden from associating with the men’s basketball program for ten years,  which was officially lifted in 2013. During this period, the relationship between him and Rose, whom he had known since the age of 12, was deteriorating. His most notable absence was his refusal to participate in the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary The Fab Five in 2011.

After years of being ousted by the University and some infighting, it may look as if a new day has dawned and it couldn’t be more welcomed. 

Prior to the OSU game, Webber and Rose took a picture posted on Rose’s X/Twitter account with the caption reading “my brother”. 

It was also meaningful to be there to support Howard who had just come off receiving open heart surgery in September and being hospitalized for 15 days. Also the Wolverines were in the midst of a five game losing streak before defeating the Buckeyes. 

(Courtesy: Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images)

After the game, Howard spoke to the nature of their bond.

“It’s nothing like having your family step in when we going through a tough time,” he said. “And then to be here and support us, it was truly uplifting. These guys I’ve been in the trenches with for so many years. I won a lot of games with; lost some games with. I learned a lot from them. But knowing they have my support through thick and thin, I appreciate that.”

He also added “I expect that this won’t be the last”. 

If the Fab Five has shown us anything about what it means to be a family, given all they have been through and what they mean to the game, it is that blood doesn’t always make a family. Sometimes it is about purely love and heart. 

In their case, they epitomized what it means to be a brother’s keeper. I got your back, you got mine, and vice versa. 

So yes, we can expect that this won’t be the last.