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 (appro ...

player. He played one season in the

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major professional basketball league that operated for nine seasons from 1967 to 1976. The upstart ABA operated in direct competition with the more established National Basketball Association thr ...

(ABA) and nine in the

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

(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 Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...

(1975–77), Seattle SuperSonics (1977–78), New York Knickerbockers (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 Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

(1986–87). His

nickname A nickname, in some circumstances also known as a sobriquet, or informally a "moniker", is an informal substitute for the proper name of a person, place, or thing, used to express affection, playfulness, contempt, or a particular character trait ...

was The Human Eraser because of his impressive shot blocking talent.

College career

Born in

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

, 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 Open-air preaching, preach on the street, or those whose message is not necessarily religious, but who preach com ...

, Webster attended Edmondson High School in the city. A four-year basketball letterman at Morgan State University, 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 College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

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 goals 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 restricted area. Free throws ...

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 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 Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...

, 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 parenchyma, 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), Anorexia (symptom), poor appetite ...

, 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, a rookie is typically considered needing more tra ...

in 1975–76. A 7' 1" center, Webster helped the Nuggets reach the 1976 ABA Finals and win the 1976–77 NBA Midwest Division championship as a backup to Dan Issel. Before the 1977–78 season, the Nuggets traded Webster, Paul Silas, and Willie Wise to the Seattle SuperSonics for Tom Burleson, Bobby Wilkerson and a first-round draft pick. With Webster as the starting center, rookie Jack Sikma, Gus Williams, and Dennis Johnson, the SuperSonics won the 1977–78 NBA Western Conference championship and reached the 1978 NBA Finals. 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 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 List of municipalities in Oklahoma, second-most-populous city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the List of United States cities by population, 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The po ...

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 List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

, 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 the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

, 82 , , – , , 35.5 , , .502 , , – , , .629 , , 12.6 , , 2.5 , , 0.6 , , 2.0 , , 14.0 , - , align="left" , 1978–79 , align="left" , New York , 60 , , – , , 33.8 , , .473 , , – , , .573 , , 10.9 , , 2.9 , , 0.4 , , 1.9 , , 11.3 , - , align="left" , 1979–80 , align="left" , New York , 20 , , – , , 14.9 , , .481 , , .000 , , .750 , , 4.0 , , 0.5 , , 0.2 , , 0.6 , , 4.4 , - , align="left" , 1980–81 , align="left" , New York , 82 , , – , , 20.8 , , .466 , , .250 , , .638 , , 5.7 , , 0.9 , , 0.3 , , 1.2 , , 5.2 , - , align="left" , 1981–82 , align="left" , New York , 82 , , 32 , , 23.0 , , .491 , , .000 , , .635 , , 6.0 , , 1.2 , , 0.3 , , 1.1 , , 6.2 , - , align="left" , 1982–83 , align="left" , New York , 82 , , 0 , , 18.0 , , .508 , , .000 , , .589 , , 5.4 , , 0.6 , , 0.4 , , 1.6 , , 5.4 , - , align="left" , 1983–84 , align="left" , New York , 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 is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, 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" , New York , 2 , , – , , 31.5 , , .500 , , .000 , , .000 , , 5.0 , , 0.5 , , 0.0 , , 0.5 , , 6.0 , - , align="left" , 1982–83 , align="left" , New York , 6 , , – , , 19.2 , , .389 , , .000 , , .636 , , 4.7 , , 0.5 , , 0.0 , , 1.2 , , 4.7 , - , align="left" , 1983–84 , align="left" , New York , 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 university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist ministe ...

, but died at age 19 from a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

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

Popular culture references

Webster is one of five 1970s Seattle SuperSonics players whose names are featured on characters in " The Exterminator," the third episode of Season 1 of '' iZombie''. The other four are Freddie Brown, Gus Williams, Wally Walker and Don Watts.Nussbaum, Danielle. "''iZombie'' recap: 'The Exterminator,'" ''Entertainment Weekly'', Wednesday, April 1, 2015.
Retrieved March 15, 2023.

References

External links

* ttp://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sports/2009009754_websterobit09.html Allen, Percy. "Former Sonic Marvin Webster dies at 56," ''The Seattle Times'', Thursday, April 9, 2009.
Marvin Webster – ''Sports Illustrated'' cover, October 16, 1978.

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20121025043950/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1010005?index.htm Pearlman, Jeff. "Catching Up With...SuperSonics center Marvin Webster-May 22, 1978," ''Sports Illustrated'', May 5, 1997. ]
Seattle PI: Photos , Death of Marvin Webster
{{DEFAULTSORT:Webster, Marvin 1952 births 2009 deaths 20th-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen American men's basketball players Atlanta Hawks draft picks Basketball players from Baltimore Centers (basketball) Denver Nuggets draft picks Denver Nuggets players Milwaukee Bucks players Morgan State Bears basketball players New York Knicks players People from Metuchen, New Jersey Seattle SuperSonics players Utah Stars draft picks