YouTube Gold: Marvin Webster Erases The Mavericks

One of the finest shot blockers to ever play the game

For a lot of people, Marvin Webster sort of came out of nowhere. A native of Baltimore, Webster was 7-1 and had brilliant shot blocking instincts. His genius for snuffing baskets was so great that he became known as “The Human Eraser” in high school, a nickname that stuck with him for his entire basketball career. He started his career at Morgan State, which at the time was a D-II program. Not many people knew about him - keep in mind there was no cable TV or Internet, much less ESPN and Sports Center.

Webster played in the ABA for one season before it merged with the NBA in 1976 and he flourished in the NBA.

Webster helped lead Seattle to the 1978 Finals, losing to the Washington Bullets. He then moved to the New York Knicks as a free agent, spending the bulk of his career with the Knickerbockers.

In this video, you can see what a deadly weapon Webster could be as he just rejects shot after shot against the Dallas Mavericks. You’ll notice he also ran the court well.

Sadly, Webster was found dead in a hotel room of natural causes in 2009. He was just 56 years old.