Guide Note

Shawn Kemp is a former All-Star Basketball player, he is best known for his years with the Seattle Supersonics. After high school he was slated to attend the University of Kentucky but was kicked off of the team for an incident involving a teammate's necklace. After his dismissal, he enrolled in Trinity Valley Community College but was unable to participate on the basketball team. At age 19 he put his name into the hat for the 1989 NBA Draft and was selected 17th overall. Within 2 years he was in the starting lineup and was selected to the Western All-Star team in 1993. In 1994 he was selected to play on the Dream Team 2 and won a Gold Medal at the FIBA World Championship. The pinnacle of Kemp's career was the 95-95 season, where he and Gary Payton led the Sonics the the NBA Finals where they faced the Chicago Bulls. The lost to the Bulls in 6 games and made an early exit from the playoffs in the following season. Kemp was then traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers and played reasonably well but struggled with maintaining his weight and was eventually dealt to the Portland Trailblazers. While in Portland, Kemp's drug and alcohol habits began to take over his life and severely effected his performance on the court. He was waived by the Blazers and signed by the Orlando Magic where he was ineffective and eventually cut. He has since been attempting to battle substance addiction and return to the NBA.

Fast Facts

1. Born: November 26, 1969
2. Birth Place: Elkhart, IN
3. Attempting a comeback to NBA
4. Nick Name: The Reign Man
5. Father of 13 children by 9 different women