Marvin Nathaniel Webster (April 13, 1952 – April 4, 2009) was an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player. He played one season in the

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major men's professional basketball league from 1967 to 1976. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger, American Basketball Association–National Basketball Association merger in 1976, ...

(ABA) and nine in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

(NBA) with the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

(1975–77),

Seattle SuperSonics The Seattle SuperSonics (commonly known as the Seattle Sonics) were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The SuperSonics competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league's Western Confe ...

(1977–78),

New York Knickerbockers The New York Knickerbockers were one of the first organized baseball teams which played under a set of rules similar to the game today. Founded as the "Knickerbocker Base Ball Club" by Alexander Cartwright in 1845, the team remained active unt ...

(1978–84) and

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...

(1986–87).

College career

Born in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, the son of a Baltimore

preacher A preacher is a person who delivers sermons or homilies on religious topics to an assembly of people. Less common are preachers who preach on the street, or those whose message is not necessarily religious, but who preach components such as a ...

, Webster attended

Edmondson High School Edmondson-Westside High School is a public high school located in the southwest area known as Edmondson Village of Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The school is made up of two buildings, the Edmondson Building (located on Athol Avenue) which ...

in the city. A four-year basketball

letterman Letterman may refer to: * Letterman (sports), a classification of high school or college athlete in the United States People * David Letterman (born 1947), American television talk show host ** ''Late Night with David Letterman'', talk show that ...

Morgan State University Morgan State University (Morgan State or MSU) is a public historically black research university in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the largest of Maryland's historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). In 1867, the university, then known ...

, he earned the nickname "The Human Eraser" as a junior when he averaged eight blocked shots a game while helping the Bears capture the 1974

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

Division II Championship. He averaged 21 points and 22.4 rebounds and was named Division II player of the year. Webster still holds eight career school records: 1,990 points, 2,267 rebounds, 19.5 rebounds per game, 785

field goal A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. The entire ba ...

s made, 424

free throw In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points by shooting from behind the free-throw line (informally known as the foul line or the charity stripe), a line situated at the end of the Key (basketball), restricted ...

s made, 644 free throws attempted, 722 blocks and 110 games started. His 740 rebounds in 1974 and 2,267 career total are still second all-time in NCAA history in their respective categories. He was named to the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball 50th Anniversary All-Elite Eight Team in 2006.

College statistics

, - , align="left" , 1971–72 , align="left" , Morgan State , 26 , , - , , - , , .453 , , - , , .687 , , 16.1 , , - , , - , , - , , 13.2 , - , align="left" , 1972–73 , align="left" , Morgan State , 28 , , - , , - , , .514 , , - , , .686 , , 23.2 , , - , , - , , - , , 18.5 , - , align="left" , 1973–74 , align="left" , Morgan State , 33 , , - , , - , , .545 , , - , , .697 , , 22.4 , , - , , - , , - , , 21.4 , - , align="left" , 1974–75 , align="left" , Morgan State , 27 , , - , , - , , .562 , , - , , .490 , , 17.0 , , - , , - , , - , , 15.7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 114 , , - , , - , , .524 , , - , , .658 , , 19.9 , , - , , - , , - , , 17.5

Professional career

Webster was selected in the first round of both the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

and ABA Drafts in 1975 (third overall by the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Sou ...

, first overall by the Denver Nuggets, respectively). After signing with the Nuggets, he was diagnosed with a form of

hepatitis Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver tissue. Some people or animals with hepatitis have no symptoms, whereas others develop yellow discoloration of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice), poor appetite, vomiting, tiredness, abdominal pa ...

, and played only 38 games as a

rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...

in 1975–76. A 7' 1"

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

, Webster helped the Nuggets win the 1976-77 NBA Midwest Division and the SuperSonics the 1977-78 NBA Western Conference title. His finest season was his single year with Seattle, in which he averaged 14.0 points, 12.6 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game. He raised his performance in the SuperSonics’ 22-game playoff run that year, averaging 16.1 points, 13.1 rebounds, and more than 2.6 blocks per game. Webster still holds the SuperSonics' record for rebounds in one half with 21. In 1978, the Knicks signed Webster as a free-agent. As compensation, the NBA awarded the SuperSonics the playing rights to power-forward

Lonnie Shelton Lonnie Jewel Shelton (October 19, 1955 – July 8, 2018) was an American National Basketball Association (NBA) player who played from 1976 to 1985. Early years Shelton played college basketball for Oregon State University. He was drafted by the ...

and the Knicks’ 1979 first-round draft pick. In his first season with the Knicks, Webster averaged 11.3 points per game and 10.9 rebounds per game. Webster never again reached double figures in either category in the NBA after that. Webster missed the 1984–85 and start of the 1985-86 season with hepatitis before retiring from the Knicks. Webster played briefly in the

Continental Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA) (originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association) was a men's professional basketball m ...

, and later with the Milwaukee Bucks during the 1986-87 season. Webster was found dead in a

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

hotel room on April 4, 2009. He was 56 years old. It is believed that he died of a coronary artery disease.

Career statistics

ABA

Regular season

, - , align="left" , 1975–76 , align="left" ,

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, 38 , , - , , 10.5 , , .458 , , .000 , , .705 , , 4.6 , , 0.8 , , 0.2 , , 1.4 , , 4.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 38 , , - , , 10.5 , , .458 , , .000 , , .705 , , 4.6 , , 0.8 , , 0.2 , , 1.4 , , 4.3

Playoffs

, - , align="left" , 1975–76 , align="left" ,

, style="background:#cfecec;" , 13* , , - , , 11.9 , , .420 , , .000 , , .536 , , 5.5 , , 0.7 , , 0.1 , , 1.1 , , 4.4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 13 , , - , , 11.9 , , .420 , , .000 , , .536 , , 5.5 , , 0.7 , , 0.1 , , 1.1 , , 4.4

NBA

Regular season

, - , align="left" , 1976–77 , align="left" ,

, 80 , , - , , 16.0 , , .495 , , - , , .650 , , 6.1 , , 0.8 , , 0.3 , , 1.5 , , 6.7 , - , align="left" , 1977–78 , align="left" ,

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

, 82 , , - , , 35.5 , , .502 , , - , , .629 , , 12.6 , , 2.5 , , 0.6 , , 2.0 , , 14.0 , - , align="left" , 1978–79 , align="left" ,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, 60 , , - , , 33.8 , , .473 , , - , , .573 , , 10.9 , , 2.9 , , 0.4 , , 1.9 , , 11.3 , - , align="left" , 1979–80 , align="left" ,

, 20 , , - , , 14.9 , , .481 , , .000 , , .750 , , 4.0 , , 0.5 , , 0.2 , , 0.6 , , 4.4 , - , align="left" , 1980–81 , align="left" ,

, 82 , , - , , 20.8 , , .466 , , .250 , , .638 , , 5.7 , , 0.9 , , 0.3 , , 1.2 , , 5.2 , - , align="left" , 1981–82 , align="left" ,

, 82 , , 32 , , 23.0 , , .491 , , .000 , , .635 , , 6.0 , , 1.2 , , 0.3 , , 1.1 , , 6.2 , - , align="left" , 1982–83 , align="left" ,

, 82 , , 0 , , 18.0 , , .508 , , .000 , , .589 , , 5.4 , , 0.6 , , 0.4 , , 1.6 , , 5.4 , - , align="left" , 1983–84 , align="left" ,

, 76 , , 5 , , 17.0 , , .469 , , .000 , , .564 , , 4.8 , , 0.7 , , 0.4 , , 1.3 , , 3.8 , - , align="left" , 1986–87 , align="left" ,

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

, 15 , , 0 , , 6.8 , , .526 , , 1.000 , , .750 , , 1.7 , , 0.2 , , 0.2 , , 0.5 , , 1.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 579 , , 37 , , 22.4 , , .489 , , .333 , , .617 , , 7.0 , , 1.2 , , 0.4 , , 1.4 , , 7.1

Playoffs

, - , align="left" , 1976–77 , align="left" ,

, 6 , , - , , 16.0 , , .500 , , - , , .667 , , 6.7 , , 0.5 , , 0.3 , , 1.8 , , 5.0 , - , align="left" , 1977–78 , align="left" ,

, style="background:#cfecec;" , 22* , , - , , 41.1 , , .489 , , - , , .675 , , 13.1 , , 2.6 , , 0.3 , , 2.6 , , 16.1 , - , align="left" , 1980–81 , align="left" ,

, 2 , , - , , 31.5 , , .500 , , .000 , , .000 , , 5.0 , , 0.5 , , 0.0 , , 0.5 , , 6.0 , - , align="left" , 1982–83 , align="left" ,

, 6 , , - , , 19.2 , , .389 , , .000 , , .636 , , 4.7 , , 0.5 , , 0.0 , , 1.2 , , 4.7 , - , align="left" , 1983–84 , align="left" ,

, 12 , , - , , 17.0 , , .483 , , .000 , , .600 , , 4.7 , , 0.3 , , 0.3 , , 1.4 , , 3.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 48 , , - , , 28.8 , , .485 , , .000 , , .647 , , 8.8 , , 1.4 , , 0.3 , , 2.0 , , 9.6

Personal life

Webster was married to Mederia Webster. Webster's son, Marvin Webster Jr., was recruited to play basketball at

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then called Ba ...

, but died at age 19 from a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

prior to his sophomore season. Later in his life, Webster lived in

Metuchen, New Jersey Metuchen ( ) is a suburban borough in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. The borough is a commuter town of New York City, located in the heart of the Raritan Valley region within the New York Metropolitan area. The borough, along wit ...

.Araton, Harvey
"Remembering Marvin Webster, Once a Knicks Savior"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', April 8, 2009. Accessed June 27, 2011. "I had an address for him at a condominium development in Metuchen, N.J., where he was said to be working in real estate. A few months after Marvin Jr.’s death, I slipped a note under his door, with my telephone number, which went uncalled. A neighbor told me that Webster was not seen very often and generally kept to himself."

References

External links

Latzke, Jeff. "Ex-Sonics star Marvin Webster found dead in hotel," ''The Associated Press'', Wednesday, April 8, 2009.

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20090412153221/http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/cover/featured/8610/index.htm Marvin Webster – ''Sports Illustrated'' cover, October 16, 1978.
Kirkpatrick, Curry. "Heavens, What A Year Ahead!" ''Sports Illustrated'', October 16, 1978.

* Death of Marvin Webster {{DEFAULTSORT:Webster, Marvin 1952 births 2009 deaths African-American basketball players American men's basketball players Atlanta Hawks draft picks Basketball players from Baltimore Centers (basketball) Denver Nuggets players Denver Rockets players Milwaukee Bucks players Morgan State Bears men's basketball players New York Knicks players People from Metuchen, New Jersey Seattle SuperSonics players Utah Stars draft picks 20th-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American people