Nearly 20 years after their arrival on the campus of the University of Michigan, the legendary “Fab Five” are once again a major topic of conversation, due to the outstanding and highly rated documentary that recently aired on ESPN. Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson are perhaps the most influential group of NCAA athletes, never to win a national championship.  

Aside from being NCAA runner-up in 1992 and 1993, this collection of Wolverine basketball players left an indelible mark on the world of hoops. Their championship game losses to Duke in ’92 and North Carolina in ’93 are the second and third most watched NCAA basketball games in history. The American basketball consumer was absolutely fascinated by this team.

The squad’s use of baggy shorts and black socks began a fashion trend that is still largely ongoing to this day. In addition, the team’s great success as underclassmen paved the way for talented players to either skip college entirely or only play at the NCAA level for a brief amount of time.

Moving ahead to present day, it’s worth noting the incredible success experienced by the nucleus members of the “Fab Five.” While none of their NBA careers were Hall of Fame caliber, Webber, Rose and Howard have certainly lived a charmed existence in the years since leaving the city limits of Ann Arbor.

Chris Webber played 15 professional seasons, after being drafted first overall in the 1993 NBA Draft. Remembered mostly for his days with the Sacramento Kings, the ‘93-‘94 Rookie of the Year averaged 20.7 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 4.2 APG and 1.4 SPG during his career. According to basketball-reference.com, the five-time All-Star earned a mind boggling $178 million in salary. Now working as an analyst for NBATV and TNT Sports, Webber is living a very comfortable life. Below is an iFollowSports original video clip of Webber during NBA All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles.

Jalen Rose played 13 seasons, averaging 14.3 PPG and 3.8 APG per game. From 1999-2003, Rose averaged more than 20 PPG for the Indiana Pacers and Chicago Bulls. Now working as an analyst for ESPN, the ‘99-’00 Most Improved Player earned approximately $102 million during his career. Below is an iFollowSports original photo of Rose, taken outside of Staples Center during last season’s NBA Finals. Rose has turned a solid NBA career into an outstanding career in the world of broadcasting.

Amazingly, Juwan Howard is still hanging around the NBA as an active player. Now playing in season 17, Howard is averaging 10 minutes a game for the Miami Heat. After averaging 13.8 PPG, 6.3 RPG and 2.3 APG for eight different NBA teams, Howard is hoping to help LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh bring a second NBA championship to South Florida. Thanks in large measure to his early career success, Howard has earned an astronomical $150 million in salary. Howard’s national notoriety began and will most likely conclude while playing for the most fascinating and well chronicled teams of two different eras (U of M & Heat). Howard and the Heat traveling road show spent an interesting couple days in Los Angeles earlier this year.

Jimmy King and Ray Jackson found success in the now defunct CBA, but never experienced long term NBA success. Both men have spent the years since working in private business, with King also spending some time in broadcasting, Jackson currently runs a charity called Rise Up Inc.

For Webber, Rose and Howard, life circa 2011 is pretty fabulous. Life in the “Fab Five” turned into lives of fame and great fortune for these three basketball lifers.