When Juwan Howard was hired to lead the Michigan Wolverines in 2019, he hinted at the possibility of a Fab Five reunion.
«Brotherhood is special to me,» he said about the group that led Michigan to back-to-back Final Four appearances in 1992 and 1993, during his introductory news conference.
Five years later, his dream came true when the entire Fab Five — Howard, Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson — were all together on Michigan’s campus for the first time in more than 30 years. They took a seat courtside for the Wolverines’ 73-65 home win over the Ohio State Buckeyes on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
After the game, Howard credited his former teammates as «real ones» who’ve supported him in tough times.
«Family always support family,» Howard said as he stood in front of his team with the other members of the Fab Five after the game. «You see what the real ones are. The real ones come out when things are a little bit rough. The real ones don’t run away. And the real Michigan fans that support this team right here, you’re looking at them.»
Fa〽️ pic.twitter.com/smI1e6KJ9F
— Michigan Men’s Basketball (@umichbball) January 15, 2024
Legends. pic.twitter.com/9cpqfKzpUL
— Michigan Men’s Basketball (@umichbball) January 15, 2024
In the early 1990s, the Fab Five made an impact not only on the court but also off it.
A collection of young Black men who wore baggy shorts, sported high-top fades and loved hip-hop resonated with African American sports fans across the country. They were flashy and fun — and damn good.
Four of them played in the NBA.
Rose averaged 14.3 points per game in a lengthy NBA career before commencing a career as a TV personality and analyst. Howard won two NBA championships with the Miami Heat and earned a spot on the 1996 NBA All-Star team. And Webber was recently inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame after a stellar career. Rose, Howard and Webber all made more than $100 million apiece during their careers.
But their post-Michigan success only made questions about a possible reunion more pressing.
An NCAA scandal had distanced the Fab Five from the program. Michigan removed the 1992 and 1993 Final Four banners after Webber was accused of accepting money from a booster, an NCAA violation. Then, Webber and Rose publicly feuded, which also complicated a possible reunion, even after Howard was hired.
But Howard promised, shortly after he was hired, that he would bring the group back together. Although Michigan has not returned the banners and the school did not formally celebrate the Fab Five during Monday’s win, one of college basketball’s most important crews reunited in a great moment for college basketball.
«To be able to show up on a day like this is so special when you need them the most,» Howard said after the game. «What I mean by needing them the most is when you have a team that’s been fighting so hard, like our team, and coming up short, game after game, you sometimes have doubt that creeps up in your mind because you have those human emotions.
«But to see a group of brothers who’ve put on that jersey before and who’ve been through tough times, to be able to walk in that door and uplift our group and inspire them in a way, how they inspired them today by their presence, it was special to see. It was special to be a part of it.»