Jalen Rose responds to Chris Webber: 'He is delusional ... still in denial'
Jalen Rose responded to Chris Webber's critical comments about him on Wednesday, saying Webber is "delusional" and "still in denial" about his role, or lack thereof, in ESPN's Fab Five documentary.
Webber, now a color commentator for TNT, bashed Rose's role in putting together the film as part of ESPN's 30 for 30 series during a Tuesday appearance on the Dan Patrick Show. The two were part of the famed Michigan basketball "Fab Five" that saw Webber, Rose, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson elevate the Wolverines to national prominence in the early 1990s. In the final seconds of the 1993 NCAA championship game, Webber famously called a timeout when Michigan did not have one to give, resulting in one of the most famous technical fouls of all time.
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Webber's absence from the Fab Five doc triggered much discussion when it aired, but he told Patrick he was offended when he was asked to participate in the film only a week before filming was set to wrap. Rose and King have both denied that happening.
[daily_cut.NBA]"I know that the 'Fab Five' documentary makes it seem like, 'Oh my God, I'm so scared to talk about it," Webber said. "I've always tried to embrace it.
"I love the guys, but I just think there was so much missed there," Webber said. "I think it was okay, except ... I think it was ... it looked like ... it looked like, you know, what happens, a lot of people, after they retire or when they're looking for a job or when they want to be relevant, they go back in time and kind of make sure their importance is really known."
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On Wednesday, Rose responded with strong comments to the Larry Brown Sports blog.
"One dude traveled then called timeout. One dude lied to grand jury and hasn't apologized. One dude tried to circumvent the documentary to HBO. One dude ignored multiple requests from everyone involved after agreeing to participate. One dude played like (President) Obama and sat in a suite during Michigan's recent title game. One dude slandered [booster] Ed Martin after all he did for him and his family. One dude is not in contact with the other four (which is all good). One dude has been doing a rebuttal doc for four years. One dude clearly is delusional and still in denial," Rose said of Webber in messages to Larry Brown Sports.
"Congrats on your amazing success! Respect had no price. Man up."
Rose also asserted his claims in some Twitter replies Wednesday evening.
- Mike Fiammetta
