OAKLAND -- Chris Webber is ending his comeback attempt with the Golden State Warriors and will retire after 15 seasons in the NBA.


Warriors spokesman Raymond Ridder said Webber will make the announcement at a news conference today. The news was first reported Tuesday by ESPN.com.

Webber played only nine games with the Warriors before being sidelined by a bum left knee that's hampered him in recent years.

Webber was the most prominent member of the Fab Five at Michigan and played for the Warriors, Washington, Sacramento, Philadelphia and Detroit in his NBA career.

Webber and the Warriors hoped that a return to where he started his NBA career would help both parties. But he ended up having little impact on the Warriors after signing with the team Jan. 29.

Slowed by the knee injuries, Webber struggled to keep up with the fast-pace Warriors and averaged 3.9 points per game in his brief stint with the team. He had not played since March 2 because of the injured left knee and lately had not been around the team.

The Warriors are in eighth-place in the Western Conference, a half-game ahead of Denver for the final playoff spot. Even if Webber had been healthy enough to return, it would have been unlikely there would have been enough time for him to work his way back into the rotation.

Webber's second stint with the Warriors came to a much quieter ending than his first, which ended with a feud with coach Don Nelson, a public trade demand and finally a deal to Washington.

Webber was acquired by the Warriors in a draft-day trade with Orlando in 1993 after becoming just the second sophomore to be the top pick in the NBA draft. He won the Rookie of the Year award and made the playoffs in his only full season with the Warriors.

But he clashed with Nelson and demanded a trade before his second season, and was eventually dealt to Washington in November 1994 for Tom Gugliotta and three first-round picks.

"I probably should have explained myself better, but I'm happy with the way my career turned out," Webber said when he re-signed with the team. "I never would have got to play with Sacramento or Washington on great teams. I never would have got to play for Coach again. I forgave a long time ago. Hopefully I've been forgiven a long time ago, and it's time to move on."

Webber had his greatest success in Sacramento, where he helped revive the Kings and turn them into one of the league's best teams.

But they were unable to make it to the NBA Finals, losing in a seven-game series in the conference finals to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2002.

Webber's career began a downward slide after he underwent microfracture surgery on his knee the following year. He was dealt to Philadelphia in 2005 and spent the second half of last season in Detroit with his hometown Pistons.

Webber was a five-time All-Star, who ended his career averaging 20.7 points, 9.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists a game.

Webber broke onto the scene as a part of Michigan's heralded recruiting class that arrived on campus in 1991. Teaming with Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson, Webber helped the Wolverines make it to the NCAA championship game his only two years in college.

But Michigan lost both times, to Duke in 1992 and North Carolina the following year. Webber was most remembered for calling a timeout when Michigan had none remaining in the final minute of the 1993 loss to the Tar Heels.