Shawn Kemp, reign over?
The Reignman was attempting a comeback, but trouble strikes again…
Of all the NBA athletes I’ve interviewed for SLAM over the last six years, Shawn Kemp is one of my favorites. For a guy who had so much baggage attached to him, he answered every question I threw at him and didn’t dodge anything or act like he’d been wrongly accused. I talked to Shawn for a long SLAM feature in 2000 and since then his career has swirled down deeper and deeper, like water in a toilet.
We were all excited to hear Shawn had gotten himself in shape and was ready for a comeback, even attending the Denver Nuggets free agent camp this summer. He was supposedly going to play in a tournament this weekend.
Then today, news breaks that Shawn has been arrested and charged with possession marijuana. It’s not so much sad as it is disappointing — dude just can’t seem to stay out of trouble. It’s never anything really big or really bad, but still, it’s the stuff you simply can’t do if you want to play in the NBA.
Every time I read some new story about Shawn, I go back to that afternoon in 2000 when Shawn and I spent three hours in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ players lounge, just talking and talking and talking. Here’s how our conversation ended…
ME: I’m going to ask you straight out: Yes or no, are you an alcoholic?
KEMP: Naw, man, I’m not an alcoholic.
ME: Are you some kind of baby-making machine?
KEMP: (laughs) No, man, not at all.
ME: Are you out of shape?
KEMP: No, I’m not out of shape at all.
ME: What are you?
KEMP: Right now I’m just Shawn Kemp, man. Sometimes you reach for the best and it doesn’t happen, so you have to adjust yourself. This is my eleventh season, so this off-season, somehow, some way, things are going to turn around. I don’t talk about it a whole lot, but I can tell SLAM: it’s going to happen. I’m just like that. I’m a competitor. I don’t know what’s going to happen in the future, but it’s not going to end like that. I’ve got four years left, then I’m going to give it up, and it’s going to be the best four years of my career, I think.
ME: Wait a second, you’re saying that you’re going to retire in four years?
KEMP: Yeah, I am. I’m going to give it up after four. Because that will be fifteen years, and I can walk away after fifteen years and be happy with having played in the NBA.
ME: (laughs) You’ll have played fifteen years in the NBA, and you’ll be…(doing math in my head), what, thirty-three years old?
KEMP: (smiles) Thirty-three.
ME: Man. You’ll have your whole life ahead of you.
KEMP: Exactly. That’s part of it. But also you go, you play your butt off, then get out of the business when you can still walk, and you have fun and enjoy life. And it’s a challenge for me to get out of basketball and do something else eventually. But right now, the Reignman’s got to get back to work and change some things around, because I’ve taken too many lumps on the head this season from the media. And the best way to fight back is on the court, and I know how to do that. I’m not afraid to do go back to the gym and make adjustments to my game and people will see that. They’ll see that.
41 Responses to “Shawn Kemp, reign over?”
Jul.21 at 11:09 am
mutoni says:
one of the greatest dunkers of all time. top 5 for sure. too bad he never could get his head straight. thanks for the memories, highlights and sad laughs, Shawn. I’ll miss ya.
Jul.21 at 11:11 am
Tunez says:
Too bad man, dude had a potential legendary career, what with the dunks, the teammate (Payton), and the kids (all 11 of them… or whatever it was…). Have to see if a team is still willing to give him a chance…
Jul.21 at 11:15 am
hadoken says:
Damn! Kemp is my all-time favorite. I’m sadly reading, he is in trouble. Again. Or should I say, still? I was looking forward to his retourn, but it looks like, it won’t happen soon. Probably never…
Jul.21 at 11:20 am
DP says:
Kemp sounds like a cool dude. I’ve never seen him play because I’m a real yung cat, but if they call him the reignman, why isn’t out there reigning shit now? NBA players need to stop getting in trouble with the law. That’s how they mess things up.
Jul.21 at 11:22 am
Most Valuable Network - End Of The Bench says:
Friday Links Quite possibly the two most overstated look-a-like jokes in the NBA. Here and here. It’s almost as if these were throwback jokes.
Al Harrington to Indiana: this move was about a year or two in the making. I don’t know why the Pacers ever…
Jul.21 at 11:24 am
Drew says:
i do recall everything went down the toilet after he signed that ridiculous 105 mil contract with cleveland.
Once he got that chedda, he was no longer motivated.
such a sad waste of talent.
Only Len Bias and Roy Tarpley seem to be bigger losses in terms of talent and potential IMO.
Jul.21 at 12:18 pm
jj says:
Awww man this sucks… Just of curiosity how many years out of thos 4 he promised did he end up playing?
Jul.21 at 1:16 pm
Max Airington says:
If the lockout never happened, Kemp wouldve been a completely different person. Theres always you tube….http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhInDbA9RH8
Jul.21 at 1:28 pm
Joe says:
Are we sure Kemp and Rider ARENT the same person?
Jul.21 at 1:30 pm
Mike says:
Amare, please don’t end up like this.
Jul.21 at 1:39 pm
Garett says:
Damn, he even looks like he did lose all that weight in the pic. There probably goes his last chance.
Jul.21 at 1:42 pm
PIMPN says:
im gonna watch my shawn kemp mixtapes now, and remember, and ponder what could have been. just like everyone else in the 90s, except dream, kemp would have been called champion if it werent for that pesky jordan guy. i used to have the shawn kemp sneakers. i want to see him play at least one more season, PLEASE
Jul.21 at 2:07 pm
Regular White Guy says:
Kemp shoulda been MVP of the ‘96 finals even though the Sonics lost. He was THAT good. Kinda sad watching so many of our favorite athletes once the skills erode (Kemp, Penny Hardaway, even Hakeem Olajuwon). They all turn to mush past the age of 38. Someday it’ll happen to Kobe, LeBron, and Wade too. Ten, maybe 15 years for James, sooner for Kobe. Wonder how they will deal with it. …
Jul.21 at 2:14 pm
Derms says:
The man w/o a doubt. That dunk against the Knicks is still the sickest in a game ever. I had his kicks too the Reebok kamakazes, ugly as hell.
Jul.21 at 2:29 pm
Mike says:
I went to high school with Shawn. You’d never meet a nicer guy back then. It’s a tragedy how his career and life turned out. I hope he tames his demons and lives a happy life. He may have squandered his career and talent to an extent, but he still deserves a healthy, productive (as opposed to reproductive) life.
Jul.21 at 2:58 pm
Lang Whitaker says:
I asked Shawn about that Knicks dunk but he said it wasn’t his best in-game dunk ever. For that honor he went with the one he tomahawked on Alton Lister (where he pointed at Lister afterwards). Shawn called it “The Lister Blister.”
Jul.21 at 3:28 pm
Jeremy says:
Sad, sad news. Lang, I’m like you. I pulled for the guy to make it back in for years. I’ve still got his Hoops rookie card. Loved watching GP toss him those lobs, seeing Kemp rise up over everyone and pound them down. It’s a real shame.
Jul.21 at 3:29 pm
Derms says:
That was a good one too, but I have never seen anyone do what Shawn did in that Knicks dunk. One of his many children plays HS ball near where I stay outside of the ATL, and I heard he is pretty good. I think he is class of ‘09.
Jul.21 at 3:53 pm
marcus brownle says:
hey man, just wanted to send out a shout out to ya lang, i read your stuff on the daily. but anyway i wanted to chime in on the whole shawn kemp thing. the man had game, he had mad hops, but he also had demons! just like a whole lot of other nba basketball players. i’m not saying to disregard the fact that he keeps getting caught but be mindful shawn’s not the only one. and another thing i was & still am a huge fan of shawn’s, so much so that back when he was at his highest level i had the slope(the haircut). nobody rocked that like shawn did. one luv
Jul.21 at 4:13 pm
mutoni says:
Though the ‘Lister Blister’ and the dunk in MSG are probably his best dunks ever, he’ll always be remembered for that one oop he caught from GP (who else?)–it was during the same Playoff series vs. G-State, the same one where he viciously punked Lister–where he catches it from the right side of the rim, dunks it through, swings around and lands in the middle of the lane. One of the most iconic images you’ll ever see. Such a beautiful thang in slo-mo.
Jul.21 at 11:57 pm
Matt Wens says:
blazers… please sign him!
Jul.22 at 12:03 am
Skaff says:
I’m a long time fan of Shawn and have followed his progress (and regress) closely since he left the league. Even as a loyal supporter, I’m not sure if he deserves another chance. If he was truly committed to making a comeback he wouldn’t keep doing this. He needs to focus on himself and his family, not basketball. I wish him the best and hope he can sort things out.
Jul.22 at 5:16 pm
kenneth says:
still remember the dunks, especially the one over Rodman. why waste all that talent?
wake up man.i’m in Africa, and if i say you were
great believe that.
Jul.23 at 12:44 am
Mighty says:
yo LANG! that issue was the first SLAM I GOT! Steve Franchise was the cover and it had those mad street legends for hype! Dale Davis, Larry Hughes, Charles Barkley and Mugsy all had stories if i remember in that ish! plus i remember shawn saying “How can I be overweight and out of shape if i played all the pre-season and all 82 games”….well by eating alot of penut butter mnm’s maybe!!! he also stated that jim mcilvane and his bogus wack contract! plus that ish had the AND1 Tai chi’s for the kicks section! and Antonio Daniels was slamadamonth over kevin jonhnson during the playoffs….. =)
Jul.23 at 12:46 am
Mighty says:
Heck KEMP even made it in your guys retro 88 slam in the punks section!
Jul.23 at 2:07 pm
Delicious J says:
It’s a damn shame. You can be a successful smoker on the down-low for years without incident.. you let your guard down and do stupid things (like takin your stash for a ride) and all hell breaks loose. He should know better by now.
Jul.23 at 5:42 pm
Speedcat says:
Cheers,
Yo Delicious, Couldn’t agree more. What a shame. You’d think a stoner could learn a fereekin’ lesson or something here? For fawk’s sake, Shawn, you’re making the rest of us look bad.
Speed
Jul.24 at 3:59 am
German Reignman says:
You know what the saddest thing is ?
He is doing that stuff against all those of us who still carried hope he might return for one more year. Think about it, ain`t nobody got that much of support in the league … seriously, talk to ANYBODY and they`ll go dreamy-eyed “Man, that REIGNMAN was one helluva player!” …. and that was way back in the days and still people hope …… and then the next disappointment comes round the bend.
Man, he can skmoke whatever he likes but being in his situation and getting busted ? He must be totally out of his mind !!! And again, its the SLAM jinx:
Y`all remember his SLAM cover story, don`t cha ? How did the story end “Inhale, Exhale” ….man, you guys are psychics !!!!
Jul.26 at 8:22 am
WaWiX says:
The sad thing is that he could have been a CHAMPION. As a b-ball playa, he should hav peaked a year or 2 ago, if he had kept playing in shape. He was the 1st of the new generation of basketball. Tall, Athletic playaz that can run with the ball.
Jul.26 at 6:51 pm
BE Smart says:
Best dunker in the world
Jul.31 at 4:42 pm
kminer says:
Kemp was argueably the best player in the nba from 1990 to 1998. Jordan was the only one who might get a vote over him. I am a diehard Kemp fan who is extremely disapointed with what just happened. he keeps getting my hopes up for a comeback and keeps shooten them down. I want to meet him and just ask what the hell are you thinkin.
Aug.1 at 8:01 am
Justin H says:
Hope he has a good retirement. just wish i could see him go crazy in a game 1 more time.
Sep.18 at 6:05 pm
A_B says:
Still rocking number40 on my own jersey sometimes
Oct.11 at 1:31 pm
Escott says:
Damnit!!! All I see is ‘what a shame’, ’sad to see him in trouble again.’ Effe that. I’m sad to see Kemp being HARASSED again. There’s nothing wrong with smoking a little herb (hell, I’m 95% positive Webber gets down before every game.) Let Kemp do his damn thing. A lot of people out there may sympathize for Kemp, but what he needs is more empathy.
Jan.17 at 3:04 pm
Tootall says:
It was all that weight he gained after he left the Supersonics that did him in. I mean, how hard is it for a professional athlete with access to all sorts of resources and what not, to lose a little weight for the sake of his job? Shawn really let his laziness get that better of him.
Feb.11 at 4:34 pm
Benthic says:
Kemp’s style of dunk was not as polished as Carters is, but his intensity was unmatched. Some Jedi turn to the dark side…
May.12 at 2:28 am
maeng says:
my all time favorite! shwan kemp! damn! miss the old days!
Jun.20 at 8:27 pm
Reigny Holland says:
Shawn was my motivation to start playing the game in the first place. I watched those video’s a million times a day and never got tired of ‘m. flying over everybody and bringing it home explosively like gravity never existed… Those were the days and the memories. But do not despair: the reignman is coming back again. And he will be more determined than ever before to make yuo all bow down in fear and gratitute!!
Aug.22 at 11:13 pm
A says:
Success, fame and fortune they’re all illusions all there is that is real is the friendship that two can share Thank you for being my friend, I’m ready now
(The Wiz)
Aug.27 at 11:31 am
steve says:
Its funny and a shame at the same time.
……………………………………………………………………….
Cuz he had his best year in 98-99 for the Cavs and they looked like they had some promise for 99-00 but Shawn got in trouble and fell off with his game a bit due to off-court troubles………………………………………………………………………………..
Man I wish he never left seattle…..
Aug.27 at 12:04 pm
steve says:
Imagine that 02-03 Magic team if Kemp had really gotten in shape and stopped all the crap/worked on his game the entire summer before?…… he had problems in 96-97 and his game fell off just a little bit but then got himself together for 97-98 and had hsi best year EVER…………………………… that 03 Magic team had McGrady in the midst of his SUPERFREAK career-year (32/7/5 a night with 1.8 steals and 1.3 blocks per game on 47% fg’s and 40% 3pointers…. led the league in PER)………………………….. and they pushed the 50-win next years champs Pistons to game 7 in the first round on McGradys shoulders………………………………….. that was as a 1-man team……………………………………………………… Now imagine if at 33 years old Shawn Kemp was in shape and back to 18ppg/9rpg on 48% fg’s and 1.5 blocks per game form PLUS Grant Hill healthy at 30 years old (should be the peak of his prime) averaging 20/6/6 a game at the SF spot?!?!?!?!?……………………………………. they wouldve been in the finals fighting the Spurs for that ring. Straight up……………………………….. McGrady was dominant. Add a end-of-prime Shawn Kemp at PF and mid-prime Grant Hill at SF to that team with both being healthy and in shape?!?!!? THAT TEAM SHOULDVE BEEN MONSTEROCIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!……………….. i feel cheated!