Basketball Gambling Stories! A 3-pointer!

“The Fab Five”

In the world of basketball, there are several popular faces that have made history and have influenced the sport for a number of years. From Michael Jordan to Shaq, basketball seems to churn out a myriad of famous faces each year. There is one particular group, though, that will remain in the annals of basketball history for a less than favorable association. The once famous Fab Five group from Michigan – now associated with an infamous betting and gambling scandal.

The Group

Of course, the Fab Five consisted of five particular players: Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, Jalen Rose, Ray Jackson, and Jimmy King. All of these five players had been shooting basketballs together since their freshman year of college. Then the group struck it big, taking the Michigan team to the 1992 NCAA Tournament Championship. The group really stuck together and worked well as a team. The Fab Five won 56 games and reached the NCAA final during both of the two seasons they were all together.

The group grew increasingly popular, making headlines and even sparking different trends, like clothing fads. The Fab Five was what the Michigan program needed to bring fame and attention back to the basketball team. Yet the team’s ultimate victory was shrouded in darkness years later after the Fab Five was rocked by a gambling scandal. An indictment said that University of Michigan boosters had hosted illegal gambling operations and had also taken part in money laundering. The group had given Webber over $280,000 worth in illicit loans. The group had also given over $336,000 to three other players who were not part of the Fab Five.

Webber’s actions were hotly contested and discussion began to take place about whether the team should be demoted from champion of the NCAA tournament. If the team was demoted, the two spots Michigan filled up in the tournaments would be vacated and the team would lose its championship. No longer were the Fab Five looked upon with awe. To be associated as a member of the Fab Five became iffy at best, as most people looked down on the group in general, although Webber played the largest part.

This gambling story courtesy of: GamblingLore.com


	I'm Lloyd Hewitt, gambling aficionado and gambling story collector. I hope you like this compilation of gambling stories. I'm always interested in hearing new ones, so if you have a gambling story you'd like to tell, just , and I'll add it to my site as soon as I can.