Marvin Webster

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American basketball player (1952–2009)

title: "Marvin Webster" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1952-births", "2009-deaths", "20th-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", "20th-century-american-sportsmen"] description: "American basketball player (1952–2009)" topic_path: "science/astronomy" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvin_Webster" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American basketball player (1952–2009) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox basketball biography"]

Field	Value
name	Marvin Webster
height_ft	7
height_in	1
weight_lb	225
birth_date
birth_place	Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
death_date
death_place	Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.
high_school	Edmondson (Baltimore, Maryland)
college	Morgan State (1971–1975)
draft_year	1975
draft_round	1
draft_pick	3
draft_team	Atlanta Hawks
career_start	1975
career_end	1987
career_number	10, 40
career_position	Center
years1	1975–
team1	Denver Nuggets
years2
team2	Seattle SuperSonics
years3	–
team3	New York Knicks
years4	1986
team4	Pensacola Tornados
years5
team5	Milwaukee Bucks
stats_league	ABA and NBA
stat1label	Points
stat1value	4,302 (7.0 ppg)
stat2label	Rebounds
stat2value	4,218 (6.8 rpg)
stat3label	Blocks
stat3value	881 (1.4 bpg)
CBBASKHOF_year	2018
::

3× MEAC Player of the Year (1973–1975) | stats_league = ABA and NBA | stat1label = Points | stat1value = 4,302 (7.0 ppg) | stat2label = Rebounds | stat2value = 4,218 (6.8 rpg) | stat3label = Blocks | stat3value = 881 (1.4 bpg) | CBBASKHOF_year = 2018

Marvin Nathaniel Webster (April 13, 1952 – April 4, 2009) was an American professional basketball player. He played one season in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and nine in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Denver Nuggets (1975–77), Seattle SuperSonics (1977–78), New York Knickerbockers (1978–84) and Milwaukee Bucks (1986–87). His nickname was The Human Eraser because of his impressive shot blocking talent.

College career

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, the son of a Baltimore preacher, 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 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 throws 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, first overall by the Denver Nuggets, respectively). After signing with the Nuggets, he was diagnosed with a form of hepatitis, and played only 38 games as a rookie 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.{{cite web | publisher = basketball-reference.com | title = Basketball-Reference.com:Marvin Webster | url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/webstma01.html| access-date = 2008-05-10}} 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, and later with the Milwaukee Bucks during the 1986–87 season.

Webster was found dead in a Tulsa, Oklahoma, 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 | 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" | Denver | 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" | Denver | 80 || – || 16.0 || .495 || – || .650 || 6.1 || 0.8 || 0.3 || 1.5 || 6.7 |- | align="left" | 1977–78 | align="left" | Seattle | 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 | 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" | Denver | 6 || – || 16.0 || .500 || – || .667 || 6.7 || 0.5 || 0.3 || 1.8 || 5.0 |- | align="left" | 1977–78 | align="left" | Seattle | 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, but died at age 19 from a heart attack 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.

References

[https://www.nytimes.com/1975/03/21/archives/people-in-sports-wepners-hunch-bet-on-501-horse-clicks.html Harvin, Al. "People in Sports," ''The New York Times'', Friday, March 21, 1975.] Retrieved March 15, 2023.
[http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1089397/index.htm Hannon, Kent. "Cashing In On Marvin's Guardin'," ''Sports Illustrated'', January 6, 1975.] {{webarchive. link. (December 3, 2012)
Goldstein, Richard. (April 8, 2009). "Marvin Webster, Basketball's Human Eraser, Dies at 56". [[The New York Times]].
[http://www.morganstatebears.com/custompages/mbball/2008/Pg%2090-97.pdf ''2008–09 Morgan State University Men's Basketball Media Guide'' – Bears Records.]
[http://web1.ncaa.org/web_files/stats/m_basketball_RB/2009/collegiate.pdf ''Official 2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Records Book'' – Individual Collegiate Records (Career).]
(October 2010). "Walt Frazier, Phil Jackson, Earl Monroe, Jerry Sloan Highlight NCAA Division II Men's Basketball 50th Anniversary All-Elite Eight Team". NCAA.
[http://www.denverpost.com/nuggets/ci_12103278 Moss, Irv. "Webster center of attention for Nuggets in '70s," ''The Denver Post'', Thursday, April 9, 2009.]
"Sonics 40th Anniversary Team: 1976–83 Era". nba.com.
Condotta, Bob. (July 9, 2018). "Lonnie Shelton, starter for Sonics' 1979 NBA title team, dies at age 62". [[The Seattle Times]].
Ken Murray. [http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/basketball/bal-te.sp.webster09apr09,0,6387259.story Marvin Webster dead at 56]. ''The Baltimore Sun''. Thursday, April 9, 2009. Retrieved on April 9, 2009.
Robinson, Bob. (May 18, 1978). "Mederia Webster's dreams prove prophetic". The Oregonian.
(1997-08-14). "Marvin Webster Jr., 19, Dies After Heart Attack". [[Seattle Times]].
Araton, Harvey. [https://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/sports/basketball/09dribble.html "Remembering Marvin Webster, Once a Knicks Savior"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', April 8, 2009. Accessed June 27, 2011. "I had an address for him at a condominium development in Metuchen, N.J., where he was said to be working in real estate. A few months after Marvin Jr.’s death, I slipped a note under his door, with my telephone number, which went uncalled. A neighbor told me that Webster was not seen very often and generally kept to himself."
[https://ew.com/recap/izombie-season-1-episode-3/ Nussbaum, Danielle. "''iZombie'' recap: 'The Exterminator,'" ''Entertainment Weekly'', Wednesday, April 1, 2015.] Retrieved March 15, 2023.

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