Michigan's "Fab Five" will reunite during Saturday's Final Four

University of Michigan student journalists talk basketball, hockey runs

Michigan's "Fab Five" will reunite during Saturday's Final Four.

Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson will be part of an alternate broadcast on truTV and HBO Max when the Wolverines face Arizona in the second national semifinal. The winner will advance to play Connecticut or Illinois for the title on Monday night.

"It's going to be great, and we're excited about it," King said Thursday in a telephone interview. "It's a symbol of our support of the University of Michigan, especially because our team is doing so well in the tournament. The team has looked good all season, being dominant and setting records and the way they're doing it, it's been fun to watch.

FILE - Former Michigan Fab Five basketball players Chris Webber, from left, Jalen Rose, Michigan head coach Juwan Howard, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson pose pose after an NCAA college basketball game against Ohio State in Ann Arbor, Mich., Monday, Jan. 15, 2024. Paul Sancya / AP

"We want to just come together and be fans of guys on the cusp of doing something historical."

The traditional broadcast will be on TBS, TNT and HBO Max.

The five members of Michigan's iconic 1991 recruiting class, who led the Wolverines to the Final Four in 1992 and '93, have reunited only a handful of times. Rose and Webber have been part of TBS, TNT and truTV's studio crew during the NCAA Tournament.

FILE - In this November 1991, file photo, Michigan's Fab Five from left, Jimmy King, Juwan Howard, Chris Webber, Jalen Rose and Ray Jackson pose in Ann Arbor, Mich. Michigan coach Juwan Howard was honored as The Associated Press men's basketball coach of the year Thursday, April 1, 2021. Anonymous / AP

The Fab Five was estranged for many years because of Webber's association with a Michigan booster. The scandal resulted in the program having to forfeit victories from Webber's two seasons and the Final Four banners being removed. The NCAA also banned Webber from associating with the program for 10 years.

The relationship healed after Howard was hired as Michigan's basketball coach in 2019. Howard led the program for five seasons and was fired two years ago.

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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

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