Mike Bibby was an NBA journeyman, spending time with six franchises throughout his NBA career. Over the course of his career, he played with players like Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, and Dwyane Wade, to name a few. However, when asked who was the biggest superstar he’s ever played with, it was neither of the aforementioned players.
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During his appearance on the Straight Game podcast, Bibby informed his former Sacramento Kings teammate of his opinion. Despite the plethora of talented stars he’d played with, Bibby favors Chris Webber, the superstar big man he was able to spend his prime with.
“I played with a lot of superstars, and I always tell people you’re the best superstar I ever played with,” Bibby said to Webber. “You held yourself accountable, you held everybody on the team accountable.” The 46-year-old stressed that Webber’s leadership trickled down through the rest of the team.
Bibby revealed what made him want to join C-Webb in Sac-Town. While spending the first three seasons of his career with the Vancouver Grizzlies, Bibby took notice of the massive crowds the Kings would draw. The same couldn’t be said for the Vancouver faithful, and Bibby wanted to be part of a larger fanbase.
Bibby recalled how many of his best seasons were with the Kings. He spent seven seasons with the franchise, far more time than he spent anywhere else. Bibby and Webber were able to lead Sacramento to their most successful season in recent memory – a Western Conference Finals in 2002. While the series did not go their way, they were able to give the mighty Shaq and Kobe-led Lakers a scare.
Bibby loved his time with Webber in Sacramento
Bibby did spend time playing with Anthony, LeBron, and Wade, but he played in just 39 games with the Knicks and 22 contests in Miami. As a result, he never got too comfortable playing alongside those stars. On the other hand, Bibby has fond memories of winning with Webber on the Kings.
With that context in mind, it’s easier to understand why the former playmaker passed over the Knicks legend and the King. He simply didn’t spend enough time with them to truly have an opportunity to mesh alongside them. Bibby was also nearing the end of his career by the time he made it to Miami or New York.
Meanwhile, Bibby recalled his time in Sacramento and playing with Webber as the best time of his life. He revealed that he was nervous about joining the team after being traded for fan-favorite Jason Williams, but the team embraced him right away.
“The guys treated me like I was there for five, six, seven years,” Bibby said. “I didn’t know if the fans would like me or if the team would like me. In my first year, we had the best record in the West. I had the best time of my life and my career playing in Sacramento with those guys.”
After experiencing the most amount of individual and team success of his career in Sacramento, it’s a bit more reasonable for Bibby to side with his old friend Webber over stars he only spent months playing with.
