As I was going through the Bulls' championship seasons in the mid 90's, I realized that the Seattle Supersonics, a team led by Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp, was their opponent in one of those seasons. This made me wonder how good Shawn Kemp really was as an NBA player. 

Shawn Kemp, aka "The Reign Man," was drafted by the Sonics in 1989 and was the youngest player in the NBA at the time. Kemp fit into the league right away, as he and teammate Gary Payton combined to make up one of the best one-two punches in the NBA. Kemp's ability to be a receiver of Payton's passes, as well as being an attacker of the rim, made it tough for opposing defenses to stop him on a consistent basis. The shear physical ability to score in an entertaining way made Kemp a fan favorite, and he was selected to the All-Star Game every year from 1993-1998. Without question, his best overall season came during the 1995-96 campaign, when his team won 64 games and made it to the NBA Finals. In the Finals, Kemp and company faced the 72 win Chicago Bulls team led by Michael Jordan. Despite being heavy underdogs, the Sonics won 2 games during the series, and eventually lost in 6 games. This series showed the legitimacy of Kemp as a true star in the league as he was able to help his team hang with arguably the best team in NBA history. 

Following that season, due to contract disputes, Kemp was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers as part of a three-team trade, which included the Sonics, Cavs, and Bucks. Kemp spent three seasons with his new team, but he never truly reached the level of play that he had in Seattle. It is possible that Kemp missed his former teammate Gary Payton, who he seemed to click with better than anyone else in his career. Nonetheless, Kemp put up his career high in points during his second season with the Cavs, yet it did not seem to have the same impact on the team as it did in Seattle when he was scoring less. 

After the 2000 season, Kemp was traded again. This time to the Portland Trail Blazers. This two year stint was the official decline of Shawn Kemp as a reputable NBA player. While with the Blazers, Kemp had weight issues in addition to cocaine and alcohol problems. By the completion of his first season with Portland, Kemp was in a drug rehab center, a far cry from the early success he saw in Seattle. Kemp was waived by Portland a season later. 

Kemp made one last ditch effort with the Orlando Magic in the 2002-03 season. This did not work out either, as Kemp was just not in the right shape and frame of mind to keep up with the talent level of the NBA. Kemp had finished his NBA career after a dismal season in Orlando. Kemp, over his 14 year NBA career, averaged 14.6 points per game, 10.9 rebounds per game, and 1.6 assists per game. 

Currently, Kemp's son, Shawn Kemp Jr., has committed to play collegiate basketball at the University of Alabama for the 2009 season.