What a Tangled Web we weave when first we practice to deceive...
Sacramento was only known for the fact that it was (is) the Capitol of California and possibly the Wine. As someone born in the City it was always more than that, but to the rest of the world the only things known about this city was what happened to be in the history books. It wouldn't be long before that changed....
He made his way in with a chip on his shoulder, and realizing it or not his heart on his sleeve.
Chris Webber made his debut and the Legacy of not only the Sacramento Kings but CWEBB himself would never be the same.
The infamous year of 2002 was the defining season of what would be, what should be the 2002 NBA Champions.
February 6th 2009, As Chris Webber's Jersey rose to the rafters he said,
" I may not have won a championship but I can guarantee less than 10% of athletes will ever experience what I experienced here in Sacramento"
With the 2002 season left with an asterisk next to it you wonder how much of that weighs on the minds of the men who served this city with everything they had.
Chris on the other hand has taken it with a grain of salt and celebrates the memories rather than the what if's.
Watching Webber's jersey rise was huge slap in the face. For Kings fans from the "Dream Team" (as Doug Christi calls it) Era, staring at his jersey flying high above Center Court was the revelation of ... It's truly and officially over... There's no going back, it is finally the time to move on....
Not a dry eye in the house, Vlade and Doug giving their speaches in honor of Chris really made the point clear....
Someone asked the question; How do you retire a jersey without ever winning a Championship?
The answer is this.....
Nobody outside of the Kingdom will ever understand this, but ITS NOT ALWAYS ABOUT THE RING. It's about the lessons you learn along the way, It's about the pride you take in what you love, It's the feeling you get when 12 teammates step on the floor, It's about the relationships built by not only the teammates but the realtionships that the athletes and organization makes with the fans....
And most importantly, it is about the unselfish actions in order to make everyone else better.
When you can come away from a team that made this franchise infamous and say, Its not about the championship, it was about the experience, you know the game was played the way it was meant to be played, heart and soul, blood, sweat and tears on the floor and all that was left was the person that experience built, you know you have something beyond special.
"Greatness begins with mistaken opportunities."
