An iconic figure in Seattle basketball, Shawn Kemp was one of the NBA’s most dominant power forwards of the 1990s, teaming with Gary Payton to lead the Sonics to the 1996 NBA Finals.
The six-time All-Star was arrested Wednesday in connection with a shooting in Tacoma. On Thursday Pierce County prosecutors decide not to charge Kemp pending further investigation.
Here’s a timeline of Kemp’s basketball career and afterward:
1988
Named a McDonald’s All-American after a four-year varsity career at Concord High School in Elkhart, Indiana. Enrolled at the University of Kentucky but never played because of academic troubles.
June 1989
Selected by the Sonics in the first round (17th overall pick) of the NBA draft.
November 1989
Makes his NBA debut three weeks before his 20th birthday, making him the youngest player in the league.
December 1990
Emerges as a regular starter for the Sonics and soon earns “The Reign Man” nickname from team broadcaster Kevin Calabro.
February 1993
Appears in his first of six consecutive NBA All-Star Games.
October 1994
Signs a nine-year, $46 million contract extension with the Sonics.
1995-96
Posts career-best season with 19.6 points and 11.4 rebounds, helping lead the Sonics to a franchise-record 64 victories and a Western Conference title. Sonics eventually fall in six games to Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls in the NBA Finals.
June 1997
Unhappy with his contract, Kemp requests a trade.
September 1997
Sonics trade Kemp to Cleveland in a blockbuster three-way deal that sends All-Star Vin Baker to Seattle. Kemp signs a seven-year deal with the Cavaliers worth $107 million.
1997-98
Averages 18 points and 9.3 rebounds in his first season in Cleveland, and plays in what would be his final All-Star Game.
August 2000
Traded to the Portland Trail Blazers in a three-team deal.
April 2001
Voluntarily enters a drug-rehabilitation center for cocaine use near the end of his first season with Portland.
August 2002
Waived by the Trail Blazers after agreeing to restructured contract, with Kemp agreeing to forfeit $25 million of the $46.5 million still owed on his deal.
September 2002
Signs a one-year deal with the Orlando Magic. Averages 6.8 points and 5.7 rebounds in 79 games in what would be his final NBA season.
April 2005
Arrested with a friend in Shoreline after police found in his vehicle a bag containing 1.2 grams of cocaine and marijuana, and a loaded 9-millimeter handgun registered to Kemp, who said the drugs belonged to his friend. Kemp and his friend later pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge and were sentenced to five days at home with an electronic monitoring device.
“I’ve learned a few lessons in life, and I’ve definitely learned from this,” Kemp told reporters at the courthouse. “[The court system] is not a place I’m familiar with, and you shall not see me in a position like this again.”
July 2006
Arrested in Houston for misdemeanor possession of marijuana. At the time, Kemp had been working his way into shape in hopes of making a comeback in the NBA. “I don’t think it’s going to hurt me on playing, but from the fan’s standpoint, it definitely hurts me,” Kemp told The Seattle Times two days after the arrest. “Because people are tired of hearing about this stuff. I’m tired of hearing about it, man. In all honesty, this one here probably affected me more than the last one did, because I know what I’ve done since.”
August 2008
Signed a one-year contract with an Italian League team, spending nine days in Italy and playing in three preseason games. But he returned to the U.S. to check on his Houston home after Hurricane Ike and did not return to Italy.
October 2020
Shawn Kemp’s Cannabis opens in Belltown.
February 2023
A second Shawn Kemp Cannabis dispensary opens in Sodo, with murals of Kemp, Payton, Bruce Lee and Jimi Hendrix featured outside the 3,500-foot showroom.