By Patrick Hayes

Flint basketball is full of legendary playground players, but few have the claim to fame that Lamarr ‘Spider’ Edwards does. In his profile of Edwards, who is being inducted into the Greater Flint Area Sports Hall of Fame this year, Eric Woodyard of the Flint Journal recounts the most famous Edwards’ many legendary stories:

The University of Michigan’s iconic “Fab Five” basketball team got caught up in Edwards’ spider web on Monday, Nov. 23, 1992. In front of 7,200 fans at Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor, Spider pumped in 29 points to help Sam Ragnone AAU beat the top-ranked Wolverines 122-121 in overtime of a preseason exhibition contest.

UM sophomore Chris Webber downplayed the loss at the time. C-Webb was quoted in The Flint Journal’s archives as saying: “This is just an exhibition,” he said. “Was it a wake-up call when Chicago (Bulls) lost in exhibition?”

Despite Webber’s indifference on the outcome, the game certainly catapulted the Spiderman into legendary status in his hometown.

“I happened to be at the game,” said Genesee County Judge Duncan Beagle. “It was only an exhibition and (Michigan) may not have been treating it like a real game, but the bottom line is that Spider Edwards was the best player on the court that night.”

Edwards, interestingly, is not only being inducted for his playground basketball skills. He was also a fantastic bowler. Kind of conjures up images of a famous Chapelle Show skit.

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