By Antonio R. Harvey | OBSERVER STAFF WRITER

He may no longer wear a Sacramento Kings uniform anymore, but Chris Webber said he would keep his ties to the city as a restauranteur. On Tuesday morning, the Philadelphia 76er forward held a groundbreaking ceremony for the first of 10 of his "Center Court with C Webb" restaurants.

Chris Webber (center) is joined by Ted Schaal of Opus West Corporation (left) and Jeff Dudum, the CEO/President of DuDum Sports and Entertainment (right), at a groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday morning. Webber is planning to open a 9,000-square foot restaurant focused on family-friendly entertainment.

The family and entertainment restaurant, that will resemble a basketball court, is scheduled to open in fall 2006 at the corner of Sacramento Gateway and West Promenade Circle, a developing business section one mile south of Arco Arena.

"We did not want this to be sports bar," Webber said during a news conference before the ceremony. "We wanted this to be a very family-friendly oriented restaurant with themes."

Once completed, the restaurant will feature interactive video displays, priceless memorabilia in the dining room, a spacious outdoor patio, and a menu that will contain a variety of delectable items.

In addition, the 9,000-square feet facility will host a tribute to basketball's greatest heroes and designed in the image of a basketball arena.

"It really talks about the history of game," said Webber, who is in town with the 76ers to play the Kings. "One of the ways I came up with the idea, if any of you've been to the Bay Area, is the restaurant called McCoveys. It's a great baseball-type atmosphere restaurant and we thought why not pay homage to many of the great basketball players that came before myself."

Webber partnered with restaurant entrepreneurs Dudum Sports and Entertainment, the founders of McCoveys and Bing Crosby's Country Club.

"Center Court with C Webb" will provide more than 150 jobs in the Natomas area, and will be part of the Opus West Corporation's "The Village at Sacramento Gateway," which will provide a high-end retail shopping center.

"We are very excited about this project and it's kind of a dream come true," Tom Schaal of the Opus West Corporation said of the inclusion of Webber's restaurant. "It's very rewarding to see this happening in Sacramento."

Webber and Dudum Sports and Entertainment plans to build more restaurants across the country in NBA towns and college towns. Specifically, Webber said he wanted to look at "Big Ten Country" universities such as Michigan, Illinois and Ohio as possible sites in the future.

Webber also said he was planning to build the restaurant in Sacramento before he was traded to Philadelphia on Feb. 23, 2005. The 6-foot-10 forward who spent 6 1/2 years in Sacramento never wavered on his goal.

"I love Sacramento," Webber said. "This is a place I still enjoy, I still love the community here, this is a family-oriented town, and I still get love from Sacramento. I didn't see any reason why I shouldn't have a restaurant here. This was the only place where I wanted to start this franchise."