Three decades ago, five college hoopers changed the way American basketball was viewed. Normally, a university or college relies on one superstar, dynamic duo, or big three. But the University of Michigan Wolverines brought in something unique and bold – a freshman starting unit with all five members as protagonists, also known as the “Fab Five.”
Jalen knows the Fab Five’s limitations
For those who didn’t know, Michigan’s Fab Five were Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, Jalen Rose, Jimmy King, and Ray Jackson. It was a group of young, hungry basketball standouts put together by Steve Fisher in an attempt to repeat the school’s epic NCAA championship run in 1989.
With the incredible amount of talent the Fab Five possessed, they led Michigan to two consecutive trips to the NCAA finals, in 1992 and 1993. Many believed that if Webber paid more attention to the game and didn’t call that infamous timeout in ’93, Michigan would’ve copped the title.
Fast forward to 2015, Rose was asked in an interview if he thinks Fab Five would’ve won an NBA championship had fate put them all together in the pros. Unlike other confident NBA stars, Rose stayed in touch with reality and admitted that Fab Five would’ve never stolen one simply because they played in an insanely competitive era.
For Rose, there was no way that the Fab Five would’ve defeated Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, and it was also impossible to beat Hakeem Olajuwon’s, Tim Duncan’s, Shaq's, and Kobe’s teams.
“Not during our era, because I played in a Michael Jordan era,” Rose told EsNews. “I saw Michael Jordan win a few chips, Hakeem Olajuwon win a few chips, Tim Duncan win a handful, Kobe Bryant win a handful and Shaq win a handful! It’s just the era I played in.”
It was never going to happen
Era talks aside, and even if Webber didn’t call that timeout in ’93, the idea of the Fab Five winning an NBA championship was never going to happen. The reason is that not all five members played in the NBA, and only C-Webb, Howard, and Rose made it to the league. King managed to make it as well but only played two seasons as a journeyman, while Jackson never got drafted by any NBA team.
Ultimately, Rose’s honesty about Fab Five reminds us that no matter how much hype is out there, winning an NBA championship is not as easy as it sounds.