SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Chris Webber, the $123 million star of the Sacramento Kings, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges of lying to a grand jury and obstructing justice.

	Chris Webber was charged Monday with obstruction of justice and making a false declaration before a grand jury.

Webber is accused of interfering with the grand jury's investigation of former University of Michigan booster Ed Martin.

Martin, a retired autoworker, says he lent Webber $280,000 while the basketball standout was in high school and at Michigan.

The 29-year-old Webber was a member of the "Fab Five'' in the early 1990s, when the Wolverines went to two NCAA title games. He is starting the second year of a seven-year, $123 million contract with the Kings.

Webber spoke only once at Wednesday's hearing, saying "yes'' when U.S. Magistrate Virginia Morgan asked if he understood the charges against him. His attorney, Steven Fishman of Detroit, told Morgan his client was pleading not guilty.

Morgan released Webber on a $10,000 unsecured bond and scheduled a pretrial conference for Sept. 26.

Webber and Fishman left the federal courthouse in downtown Detroit without speaking to reporters.

Webber was indicted Monday along with his father and his aunt. They did not appear at Wednesday's hearing. Arraignment dates have not yet been set for Webber's father, Mayce Webber Jr., and his aunt, Charlene Johnson.

In Sacramento, Calif., on Tuesday, Webber said he intended to clear his name and insisted he was misled by Martin, who "befriended kids like myself, preying on our naivete.

"I will fight this case to the end, and I feel that I will be vindicated,'' Webber said.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Convertino declined comment Wednesday.

Martin, 68, has said he lent large amounts of money to Webber and other Michigan basketball players, including two who admitted taking it.

Webber has said he received only small amounts of money, mostly under $50.

The three defendants all face the same two charges -- lying to a grand jury and obstructing justice. The maximum penalty on each charge is five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

On Tuesday, Webber described Martin as a predatory fan who placed unwanted attention on promising athletes. Webber starred at Detroit Country Day High School before attending college for two years in nearby Ann Arbor.

Martin pleaded guilty in May to conspiracy to launder money, admitting he took gambling money, combined it with other funds and lent it to Webber and several other players while they were still amateurs.

Martin is to be sentenced Oct. 8.

Geoff Petrie, the Kings' vice president of basketball operations, said it's too soon to say whether Webber will miss any games in the upcoming season to deal with his legal problems.