Tuesday, August 5th, 2008 at 1:41 pm  |  121 responses

Shawn Kemp: Confirms Rumors

SLAM talks to Shawn Kemp about kids, drugs, Italy and making it reign!

PRODUCED BY: MATT CAPUTO
DIRECTED & EDITED BY: MATTHEW J. SHERIDAN

It really wasn’t too long ago that Shawn Kemp was one of the most dominant and popular players in the NBA. A tall and lanky leaper, Kemp came into the NBA at 19-years-old and captivated arena audiences with his “supernatural” athleticism. At 6-10, few players of Kemp’s size had ever played the game as hard he did at the speed that he did. After 14 years in The League, Kemp’s career was both highly decorated and filled with peaks and valleys.

Today, Kemp is planning on returning to the court by playing pro ball in Italy next year. He’s living around Seattle and working on various small business ventures with his wife, as well as staying in shape to make some kind of court comeback. His son, Shawn Kemp Jr., will be a senior in high school this fall and on the D1 basketball radar. At age 38, Kemp is slimmed down and in good shape. His hard partying days seem to be over.

On a recent trip out to the West Coast, SLAM caught up with Kemp at the Rose Garden. Kemp was in Portland to serve as an Assistant Coach of the Seattle 3BA team in the league’s “pilot” game and lend his support to the new league. After the game, Kemp shared a few moments with SLAM to look back on his life and career.

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  • http://hibachi20.blogspot.com DP aka D.Polo

    great history lesson, matt. I’m bout to look at his highlights on youtube right now.

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  • http://www.garrettelliott.com Garrett

    Shawn Kemp Jr., banging on some tiny white kids:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-t_P8mLnJu0&feature=related

    And I have so many favourite Kemp dunks it’s hard to list them. This one doesn’t get a lot of props, but I always thought it was pretty awesome:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLQg2zBBJwQ

  • http://www.slamonline.com Earl “E.Sneed” Sneed

    Man, it is soooooo good to see him cleaned up. Very inspirational! Great job MC

  • http://DCtoBC.com modi of DCtoBC.com

    you all need to make these slam clips embeddable!

  • http://slamonline.com Chris O’Leary

    One of my favorites growing up. I miss this guy.

  • http://www.triplejunearthed.com/dacre Dacre

    Yeah Shawn Kemp was amazingly athletic…turned it over like 6 times a game though…
    he was good for 18 and 9 most nights add 2 blocks for good measure…

    He was always on my custom teams along with Alonzo and Penny Hardaway, glen Rice and Scottie Pippen.

  • http://www.garrettelliott.com Garrett

    I once scored over 500 points (on 250 dunks, naturally) with a team of all Shawn Kemps in NBA Live 95 on the Sega Genesis. Good times.

  • Andy

    It’s a shame that his last NBA game was at age 33
    Shaq’s 36 and still making his way up and down the court

  • http://SLAMONLINE.com Konate

    this is great Matt!

  • The Wizard

    Please SK come back to play!
    I really hope to see you in Italy…just for some training…..but come!!i think it could be a good traning before a big back in the NBA!!!
    Come on man here you have a lot of fun and we would like to see your wonderful DUNK!!

  • http://www.dwhs.net dwhs

    I loved that guy! Great player

  • FL1P

    ok, so where in Italy will he play?I would definitly try to see him play. I saw him in 1997 in Berlin, when the Sonics played the Pacers, and he was the coolest dude.

  • chintao

    Reignman is now as smooth off the court as he once was (may still be?) on the court. It’s cool that he takes time to let the youngsters know how invaluable veteran insight can be. Also, few people have been where he’s gone and not filed for bankruptcy. Respect.

  • Parkside701

    Man I remember being a huge fan of his. Good to know he is doing good. He sounds good and god knows he looks good.

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  • German Reignman

    @ FL1P: you are a liar and you know

    NBA Europe Live Tour 96, Seattle vs Indiana in my hometown, sitting there with my media credentials …. and then SK stays in Seattle due to Brikowski/Contract issues …. man, that was a heartbreaker … he is the one that brought bball to the heads in europe, because about that time bball blew up in the “old world” so he is even more of an icon here than in the US

  • reignman

    shawn kemp jr is not going to be a freshman at The U of Washington this year! He is only a Senior at Cherokee High School in Canton, GA. Also, what kind if answer was that about parenthood????????? “I don’t talk about my kids”

  • Lz – Cphfinest3

    This is GREAT WORK guys. Absolutely love Shawn Kemp – great player, always seemed candid (although troubled)imo – remember him throwing bass at the fishmarket with GP, good stuff. I am the proud owner of that old white/green Sonics jersey, and along with a similar GP one, and MJ’s red Bulls jersey those are the only jersey I as an adult continue to wear when balling. Side note; my first SLAM issue ever was that Kemp one he holds up in the end of the interview (No. 3 if I remember correctly) so I have to give Shawn some kind of credit for me getting started with this whole SLAM-experience. Here’s to hoping that the Reignman will make it pour in Italy.

  • alexrows

    great interview. shawn looks in great shape. good to hear he’s doing well on and off the court
    @garrett: that dunk on antoine carr was sick. it was the #1 dunk of 1995-96 on the nba action top 10 dunks of that season

  • Roky Maghbal

    Euro effect?

  • andrew

    that’s my first copy of Slam…make it reign!!

  • http://vax-pensierieparole.blogspot.com/ Vax

    You really tink that Shawn Kemp come back to play basket in Italy?

    I think that is possible that Jason Kidd will come in Italy next year with MPS Siena.

  • http://maggiecoughlan.com Maggie

    Great video, love the black & white to color switch. Time to get a youtube channel and some partner sites poppin.

  • underdog

    Payton should go to Italy too. Anyway, I will certainly visit Italy and check out Kemp.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XX8g45KQYQ&NR=1

  • Norimike

    Don’t underestimate the impact Kemp could still have in Italy. In Australia there are a couple of guys who have played that late to a high level. Leroy Loggins, and one of the best dunkers of all time James Crawford.
    Kemp could still average double doubles without a doubt.

    Best power forward ever in my opinion. Yeah not in stats and rings etc, but in his prime he was athletically and skill wise at a higher level than any before or since. I never get tired of watching highlight reels of him, Kevin Calabro wailing….those were the days.

  • BigWalt206

    any positive news about Kemp is good news!

  • ohio

    just bring in the dunks man-dats all we nid

  • Tommy Patron

    I’m curious to see how NBATV will handle their “international” coverage now that some recognizable names are overseas. One would hope for updates on these guys. I wouldn’t be surprised to see nothing at all, though.

  • ciolkstar

    Man! That SLAM ish Kemp is reading in the pic was one of the best things that happened to me when I was like 12 yrs old. …memories…

  • tike

    Nice work SLAM…Kemp was a beast i mean the guy took advantage of people on the hoop court just NASTY!!…and im anxious too see how his kid fare at UW.

  • jello

    at least he’s doing something, instead of bitching about another persons affairs. while sitting on his ass. And i think he actually has two grand kids..

  • bc

    I’ve met Kemp a few times, and he’s a good dude. He’s right that you’ll never hear about him not taking care of one of his kids. I know the mom of one of them, and those two are set. She isn’t allowed to disclose what the deal is, but she’s got a nice house, nice car, and doesn’t have to work. The kid is set with college money and a trust fund, and talks to his dad all the time.

  • Big Marv

    reignman, one of my all time favorites

  • http://www.slamsquad.com Ben Tifa

    he was the man in the NBA back in the 90′s. Didn’t he have trouble palming the ball though or something?

  • Jarrod Malloy

    Thas a real good look for him. You can really tell that he has grown alot in his life.

  • Gerald

    Great interview. Shawn Kemp is a good guy and Im always rooting for him

  • Josh

    anybody got a link to the gatling dunk he is talking about? I can’t seem to find it on youtube

  • http://www.garrettelliott.com Garrett

    Josh: If you check this video, it’s #5 on the countdown.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKz8ACUAApQ

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=627550406 KA

    this is pure gold. thx slam.

  • Tuomas

    Josh, it’s only in about every Kemp mix, and number 5 on NBATV’s top ten Kemp Dunks. First Gatling blocks the hell out of one Sonic (can’t remember who), then Kemp gets the ball and dunks all over Gatling, who stares at Shawn for a second and then gives him a pound. It’s the one and only time I’ve seen an opposing player openly congratulate the guy who dunked on him. Funny thing is, SK himself has switched from “Lister Blister” to this one as his favorite dunk. Only fitting that the man himself has trouble deciding.

  • stokesey

    yooooooooo that was the best video i seen in a long time, and for him to be so frank with his answers that was awesome always wondered wat he was up to these days, good to see him healthy big ups slam, once again providing mr with answers to my questions :)

  • holmestc

    Shawn Kemp Jr. is in da class of 09 for high school. So he is not n college yet.

  • KA

    kemp is totally fronting there with the reading slam bit. he looks totally disinterested.

  • kfkegel

    No better play off rivalry than Barkley Vs. Kemp back in the 90′s when it was all about Perkins, Mcmillan, Detlef, Kemp and Gary. Kemp one of the first to come basically straight out of highschool.
    He surprised the NBA with his pump fake slams during the Slam dunk contests and was a team player. He is the reason I joined the Basket ball team in Middle school. I hope He can show everyone that he’s still got it.

    K

  • B. Long

    Great Vid. Finally got to see it. Thanx Ryne.

  • GodBless

    Glad to see the reign man doing well was and still is one of my favorite ballplayers and to the dum dums on here it doesn’t matter how many kids he has as long as he is TAKING CARE of them. if he doesn’t want to talk about his kid that’s his right. Just because he’s a professional ball player some people still want to keep some parts of their lives out of the media.

  • reignman

    Kemp Jr. keeping an eye on Huskies
    The feeling’s mutual, but Washington has yet to offer a scholarship
    By DAN RALEY
    P-I REPORTER

    Shawn Kemp Jr. visits Seattle every so often. Whether he makes it his college basketball home will be determined soon.

    The son of the former Sonics forward returned to class this week as a senior at Cherokee High School in the Atlanta suburbs, hoping to settle on a college choice within a couple of weeks.

    As of Thursday night, Kemp said he had received solid scholarship offers from West Virginia and Nevada, with Washington, Georgia and Kentucky showing significant recruiting interest.

    “Good coach, good team, good environment,” Kemp said of the UW. “The Huskies are a good choice. They’re a good team and they work hard. That’s where I was born. My family is there. I don’t think they’ve given me a full offer, but they’ve shown a lot of interest.”

    The 6-foot-9 big man met with UW coach Lorenzo Romar for the first time at his school last year and worked out in front of him. He speaks frequently with Huskies assistant Paul Fortier.

    The drawback in coming to Seattle would be the fact his father played here, which he says might be more hindrance than help.

    “It would be kind of weird,” he said. “I’d have a lot of attention. But I would deal with it.”

    The younger Kemp is an intriguing basketball prospect. He already has the wingspan of a 7-1 player and the potential to grow 3 to 5 more inches, which would surpass his 6-11 father.

    He didn’t play basketball until the eighth grade, encouraged by other classmates. He wasn’t too thrilled by the reaction of others, expecting him to emulate his famous and absent father almost immediately. Yet he liked the game and stuck with it.

    A year ago, Kemp averaged 11 points and 7 rebounds for a Cherokee Warriors team that advanced to the second round of the state playoffs. With a handful of key teammates having graduated, he’ll have to shoulder a bigger load.

    “My strengths are being in the post, just post moves and hook shots,” he said, crediting his high school coach, Roger Kvam, with teaching him the game.

    Kemp, who asked that he not be quizzed about his father, actually has serious basketball genes on both sides of his family. His mother’s brother is Harold Doyal, a 6-9 forward who has played professionally overseas for several years, lately in Spain. Doyal was a Seattle P-I honorable mention all-state selection for Bellevue’s Interlake High School in 1991 and led Western Washington in scoring (17.8) and rebounding (8.3) in 1995.

    Should he choose Washington, Kemp would become the fifth son of a former Sonics player to enter the program, joining Donald Watts (Slick), Bryan Brown (Fred), Marlon Shelton (Lonnie) and Michael Westphal (Paul). Spencer Hawes was the nephew of a former Sonic (Steve).

    Kemp moved to Georgia with his mother when he was 5. He made his most recent visit to the Seattle area last February, spending a week and visiting with his grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins.

    He was supposed to check out the UW, but didn’t make it to the campus. Maybe he knew something then. Still, he insists the Huskies have his interest, though he didn’t say how much.

    “I’m going to know pretty soon,” he said.

  • Penny Hardaway

    Best all-time PF? Malone or Duncan….
    No way would anyone love their play like we love Kemp’s

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