Chris Webber (basketball, born 1972)

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Chris Webber (born December 4, 1972) is a Canadian former professional basketball player, most notable for his career in the British Basketball League.

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Career

Born in Owen Sound, Ontario, Webber's career began in 1992–93 with the Carleton University Ravens, where he won the Rookie of the Year title for Ontario-East. Webber transferred to his home-town University of Western Ontario for second year. As a student of the University of Western Ontario, Webber played with the senior basketball team, the Western Ontario Mustangs, where he was named to the OUAA Conference 1st Team's for 1995–96 and 1996–97.

In October 1998, the 6'9 forward [1] signed a professional contract with British Basketball League (BBL) outfit Newcastle Eagles, however he was released after just one month at the club and subsequently joined in November Plymouth Raiders to replace Daniel Okonkwo who was in Greece representing Nigeria in the 1998 FIBA World Championship.

Following Okonkwo's return, Webber was then signed by BBL franchise Leicester City Riders, making his debut on December 12 at home to London Towers. Having moved on again to Birmingham Bullets [1] and then returned to Newcastle the following season, Webber eventually settled with Edinburgh Rocks in 2000, before ending a two-year spell to play for Gymnastikos S. Larissas in Greece. After just one season, Webber returned to the BBL and to former club Leicester, where he saw out one final season.

Chris Webber is currently a gym instructor at Newton's Grove School in Mississauga, Ontario.

Career history

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The 2006–07 season, the 20th since its establishment of the British Basketball League, started on 29 September 2006 when reigning champions Newcastle Eagles began with an 85–83 loss away to Sheffield Sharks.

The 2005–06 season was the 19th season of the British Basketball League, which ran from 23 September 2005 through to 11 April 2006. The season started earlier than usual because of England's participation in the 2006 Commonwealth Games, which took place during the regular season.

The 2004–2005 season was the 18th campaign in the history of the British Basketball League, which commenced on 2 October 2004, and ended with Newcastle Eagles' win in the Play-off Final on 1 May 2005. Eagles won their first piece of silverware in 13 years with victories in the Play-offs and the BBL Trophy, against Brighton Bears on their home court at The Brighton Centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BBL Cup</span> British basketball competition

The British Basketball League Cup, often shortened to the BBL Cup, is an annual cup competition for British basketball teams organised by the United Kingdom's top professional league, the British Basketball League. It is one of two peripheral competitions operated by the League during the regular season, with the other being the BBL Trophy. The competition is usually played as a single game knock-out tournament, and is only contested by members of the British Basketball League. The final takes place in early January at the Arena Birmingham in Birmingham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BBL Trophy</span> British basketball competition

The British Basketball League Trophy, often shortened to the BBL Trophy, is an annual cup competition for British basketball teams organised by the United Kingdom's top professional league, the British Basketball League. It is one of two peripheral competitions operated by the League during the regular season, with the other being the BBL Cup. The competition's structure and format vary from season to season and often includes invited clubs from the English Basketball League and the Scottish Basketball League. The final takes place in March, usually at a neutral venue.

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The 2007–08 season, the 21st since the establishment of the British Basketball League, commenced on 9 September 2007, when the Plymouth Raiders succumbed to the Guildford Heat in the inaugural Cup Winners' Cup competition. The regular season started two weeks later on 21 September with 12 teams including new additions Birmingham Panthers, Everton Tigers and London Capital the later of whom stepped up from EBL Division 1 during the summer. After just one season in the top-flight, London United were forced to drop out due to the loss of its financial backer just weeks before the start of the season.

The 2008–2009 season was the 22nd campaign in the history of the British Basketball League (BBL), which commenced on 14 September 2008 with the Cup Winners' Cup. The regular season began a week later with 12 teams competing, though a line-up change saw the Birmingham Panthers withdraw and fold during close season and the inclusion of Worthing Thunder from the English Basketball League.

The 2000-01 BBL season, the 14th since its establishment of the British Basketball League, commenced on 30 September 2000 and ended on 7 April 2001, with a total of 13 teams competing. The regular season saw teams split into two geographically divided Conferences, seven in the North and six in the South, with northern teams playing 36 games and southern teams playing 34 games each. Sheffield Sharks were crowned winners of the North, while London Towers dominated the South, both teams tallying 27 wins in the regular season.

The 2011–12 season was the 25th campaign of the British Basketball League since the league's establishment in 1987. The season featured 11 teams from across England and Scotland, with Durham Wildcats appearing in their first campaign after election from EBL Division 1. The League did not feature two teams from the previous season; Worthing Thunder had stepped down to the EBL, whilst Essex Pirates withdrew just two weeks prior to the season starting due to the loss of a major sponsor. There was also uncertainty regarding the participation of reigning champions Mersey Tigers, who had to postpone their first game due to off-court problems and operational issues.

The 2012–13 season was the 26th campaign of the British Basketball League since the league's establishment in 1987. The season featured 12 teams from across England and Scotland including a new entrant, the reformed Manchester Giants, who were based on the original franchise of the same name that folded in 2001. East London Royals were due to become the 13th member of the League, but after their financial backing fell through weeks before the start of the season, the League deferred their entry until the 2013–14 season. The pre-season also saw long-time member franchise Milton Keynes Lions relocate to London and rebrand itself as the London Lions, whilst Cheshire Jets – encountering severe financial difficulties and threatened with the franchise being dissolved – were saved by campaigning local fans and businessmen and renamed as Cheshire Phoenix midway through the season.

The 2013–14 season was the 27th campaign of the British Basketball League since the league's establishment in 1987. The season featured 12 teams from across England and Scotland, including new entrant Birmingham Knights. East London Royals and Essex Leopards were both due to become the 13th and 14th League members respectively, but after deferring their original entries from the 2012–13 season for a season, both franchises withdrew their applications to join the BBL due to financial constraints.

The 2014–15 season was the 28th campaign of the British Basketball League since the league's establishment in 1987. The season featured 13 teams from across England and Scotland, including new entrants, Bristol Flyers and Leeds Force. The season started on 26 September 2014 and ended on 10 May 2015 with the Play-off Final at The O2 Arena.

The 2016–17 British Basketball League season was the 30th campaign of the British Basketball League since the league's establishment in 1987. The season featured 12 teams from across England and Scotland. The season started on September 23, 2016, and ended on May 14, 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017–18 BBL Trophy</span>

The 2017–18 BBL Trophy was the 30th edition of the BBL Trophy, an annual cup competition for British basketball teams, organised by the British Basketball League (BBL). Besides BBL clubs, clubs from the National Basketball League (NBL) participated. The Leicester Riders won their third trophy title. The competition was played from 8 December 2017 until 4 March 2018.

The 2018–19 British Basketball League season was the 32nd campaign of the British Basketball League since the league's establishment in 1987. The season featured 12 teams from across England and Scotland.

The 2020–21 British Basketball League season was the 34th season of the British Basketball League, the top British professional basketball league, since its establishment in 1987. The season featured 11 teams from across England and Scotland.

The 2020–21 BBL Championship of the 2020–21 BBL season, the 34th season of the British Basketball League started on 3 December 2020 to 30 April 2021.

The 2021–22 British Basketball League season was the 35th season of the British Basketball League, the top British professional basketball league, since its establishment in 1987. The season featured 10 teams from across England and Scotland.

References

  1. 1 2 "Bullets to snatch Webber". Sports Argus. September 16, 2000. Retrieved July 20, 2010.[ dead link ]