Webber Weighs Michigan's Best Ever

Chris Webber carries 1989 in his chest. That Michigan team was the first to cut down the nets in Ann Arbor's history. No coaches. No blueprint. Just the first to do it. Webber said the 2026 team would not be here without that 89 group setting the tone.

So when Rich asked if this is the best Michigan basketball team of all time, Webber drew a tight box. The only conversation worth having is between two teams. The 89 team and this team. Nobody else. Not the Fab Five years. Not any stop in between. Just those two.

His reasoning was respect. You do not compare yourself against others when you are the man on the floor. You did what you were supposed to do. But 89 paved the path, so 89 is part of the conversation by right. This team earned a seat at the table by finishing the job and by the way they finished it. A bunch of guys who just got together, played so well, and cut down the nets.

Webber hesitated on putting one team above the other. We look like newbies when we talk about which team is best. That means only two choices. Webber is fine with that. For the Alabamas and the other bluebloods that cannot have this conversation at all, it is a reminder of what Michigan has versus what most programs never have.

He credited Dusty May directly. Already went to the Final Four. Came to Michigan and finished what he came to do. The Wolverines had the best talent and the best people, and those guys would have won anywhere else too. They chose Michigan. Choosing Michigan is choosing a small group of winners. From there, the question is how far your road can take you.

The playful part came through too. Would 89 beat the 2026 team? Yeah. Would 2026 beat 89? Yeah. Webber would have fouled them. They would have fouled back. It would have been a great game. But today he cannot play. What he can do is stand on the golf course and brag to his friends about what those young guys just did.

That line landed. Watching this group win, watching their parents and families, knowing how hard they worked, is the appreciation Webber wanted. He would rather brag about this team's journey than sit alone as a member of the only Michigan team that ever won. Now there are two. That is the point.