Shawn Kemp: DECADES BEFORE BLAKE GRIFFIN this Supersonics Star laid the Blueprint for Lob City | FPP
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- čas přidán 10. 11. 2023
- Unfortunate circumstances prevented him from playing college ball after a superstar career at Concord high school. But after a year away from basketball, he was still a first round pick at a time when it was unheard of for a player to go to NBA with no college experience. Shawn Kemp joined the Seattle Supersonics during a period of transition, there trio of Tom Chambers, Dale Ellis and Xavier McDaniel was soon to be finished and he was brought in as a hyper-athletic big man with tremendous upside. His next 8 years with the Sonics would be some of the most exciting basketball anyone had ever seen as he formed one of the league’s bet duos. His style of play was rarely seen in a player his size and he utilized every bit of his athleticism to create mismatches night in and night out. At his best, he was a perennial all star who at times was in the NBA MVP conversation, helping lead the Sonics to the 1996 NBA Finals versus Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. The Sonics fell short and soon after that Kemp wanted out of Seattle due to contract disputes, but around this same time, his addiction struggles came to light and once he was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, they became more and more of an issue. His weight got out of control and his trademark athleticism slowly disappeared, but even with his struggles he was still a top player in the NBA during his time in Cleveland. His last few years were spent with the Portland Trailblazers and Orlando Magic as role player before his career was over at 33 years old. But when Shawn Kemp was at his best, he was one of a kind with incredible body control and finishing ability, great dribbling and an underrated midrange shot. But where he gets the least is as a defender, as although he struggled with foul trouble throughout his career, he was constantly rated as a top defender in the league, and it’s surprising he never made an All-defense team. His entire prime was during the golden age of power forwards, so he was aways overshadowed by the players at his position who were just a step above him, but during the 1990s, Shawn Kemp was one of the faces of NBA basketball.
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shawn kemp's swagger is unmatched to this day
The best to the lane driver in NBA history in my opinion
In shape Shawn Kemp was one of the most athletic and explosive players ever.
Not trying to argue but wouldn't Wilt or Jordan be the most athletic player hell Russel was a supreme athlete
@@jamalwalker One of the most. Never said the most.
@@jamalwalkerMichael had great hang time and great creativity....but he didn't have the power and explosiveness of Kemp.
@@jamalwalker Wilt is the greatest athlete in NBA history. More athletic than Westbrook, Rose, Giannis, Vince Carter, LeBron, Jordan, Blake, Kemp, Dr. J, etc.
One of the most exciting teams to watch in the early 90s Supersonics
THE IMPACT HE HAD ON THE NBA IN THE 90'S WAS SUPER INCREDIBLE!!! HAD THE ENTIRE LEAGUE IN FEAR OF HIM AT ONE POINT!! HAD HIS DEMONS NOT CAUGHT UP WITH HIM WE DEFINITELY WOULD BE CALLING HIM A HALL OF FAMER!!
he should be a hall of famer regardless
@@godsfavoritt771 I don't think so. Blake Griffin has better numbers and he's not a Hall of Famer.
@@hitek9too255i literally just did a comparison, kemp has more points, blocks, rebounds and steals than griffin. Blake has more assists.
@@TheRealMickeyFactz see. thank u
@@hitek9too255Blake wouldn't be eligible to make the Hall just yet.
Shawn Kemp was Blake and Zion of his generation.
You should’ve seen prime amare stoudemire. He was very much in that conversation too.
But devolved a mid range jumper
@jdcsteelers498 this channel should do a video on him too
@@jdcsteelers498NONE of 'em had the motor like him N the NBA, U can thank the cocaine.
He came first tho
Kemp and Domonique were two of my favorite players when i was young!
The regin man…I wore number 40 because of this dude.
The Reignman caught everything and jumped like a pogo-stick. Great rebounder, shot blocker, play-maker and underrated jump shooter. Played PF And sometimes Center and gave everything he had vs Barkley, Malone, Robinson, Olajuwon and Rodman.
he really did have an underrated jumper 💯
he was also an underrated post defender. He is a way better defender than Blake Griffin ever was. The guy was a 2 way player, only overshadowed by his hall of fame teammate on defense and several bigs like hakeem, robinson, mutombo, mourning and ewing, and pfs like malone and rodman. The guy was only behind robinson and duncan in 1 year. no wonder the sonics were a top team. everybody remembers the highlights but not his underrated jumper from 20.
with NON title elite teams please tell me who you feel was the most elite between the 97 heat led by star alonzo mourning 93 sonics led by star gary payton 95 spurs led by star david robinson 92 94 and 96 jazz led by star karl malone and 95 magic led by legend shaquille o'neal and 97 rockets led by legend hakeem olajuwon and no disrespect but the champion 90 pistons led by star isiah thomas were nowhere near as elite as the champion 94 and 95 rockets led by legend hakeem olajuwon
@@youtuber3328 That 92' Jazz team had PRIME Karl Malone and John Stockton. They had underrated Jeff Malone, still had Mark Eaton and talented wings such as Blue Edwards, David Benoit and Tyrone Corbin. I think if they made the finals that year - they would've pushed the Bulls to 7.
you PROBABLY know the 1992 blazers won game two 115-104 and game four by 5 i don't know the score they lost 122-89 in game 1 allowing 39 points from michael jordan they lost 104-94 in game 3 and lost by 13 in game 5 allowing 46 points from michael jordan with his series average being 35.5 points a game
Kemp was always fun to watch even when he was heavier. His highlights are still legendary to this day
super underrated as jump shooter - his midrange game was terrific, though obviously a bit less efficient than dunking on everyone
He was still dunking on people in Cleveland too
One of the most exciting players to watch. Prolific dunker and scorer. What a pitty that his career ended that way...
Once Shawn got his bag in Cleveland, he got complacent for the rest of his career.
No he was the best 4 in the East in Cleveland
@@1D4ever Only for 1 year.
This dude should have been a Hall of famer. One of the greatest What ifs in history?
He had a solid star career I think he should be in the HOF as is
Rick James said it best. Cocaine is one hell of a drug. 🎉🎉🎉 ❄️❄️❄️
@@1D4ever ME-T00!!
I loved his windmild of bounce in the slam dunk contest 1991
And when he jump form "ft line " with is legs like he's running in the sky
i always thought of Shawn Kemp when people were going crazy over Zion a few years ago claiming they had never seen anything like him... how quickly we forget
Reign Man was exciting to watch. Me and several others was rocking the Shawn Kemp pump ( hair cut) even after the weight gain Kemp still had his midrange jumper.. salute too Shawn Kemp
RAIN MAN!!!! OY VEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Stellar.
Peace to Chris Gatling for giving Kemp props right after getting dunked on. I don't recall seeing players do that too often.
Those Reebok Kamikaze's were nice.
Legendary highlight hey haha
Goddamn I remember watching that and alot of these on VHS to the point the tape pretty much got ruined haha
You've never seen a real dunk until you see Kemp dunk. The man's a menace above the rim! His energy was unbelievable!
darrel dawkins did real dunks too
I was young kid when I first seen a dunk, and it was Kemp… fell in love with the game right there. The style was unmatched
The dunks Kemp was getting off in game were crazy
They would've been good enough to win the dunk contest for most of the last 20 years.
Vince Carter
@@neilvetter662 That's why I said most. Vince is probably the only person who could beat him.
@@lucashenderson2775he was good enough to win he just had a poor contest game plan and missed at the worst times.
@@1D4ever 1991 especially.
Shawn Kemp was the man in the mid 90s
My absolute favorite player as a kid. I loved him on the Sonics and as a Clevelander, was so excited when we traded for him back in the day. Homeboy made an all star team here, it wasn't all doom & gloom like people remember.
Before the Cleveland trade, he was my favorite player in the league. Over Mj, Barkley, whoever! I was definitely a kemp fan #40
Props to the Seattle announcer, too. He added a lot of flair and style to those high flying mid 90s Sonics teams . Fun times
I remember when he played for the SuperSonics, he had such an explosive move to the rim.
Smoking out of a bong 💨 🍃 drinking shots and enjoying another FPP video, cheers 🥃💨🍃
now that's how you start a Saturday 😂
At the Sonics in the early 90s...Damn..kemp and payton ..he was a true street baller....
Him and GP were Lob City b4 Clippers Lob City
Hall of Fame it’s way overdue
If T Mac can b n & he never left da 1st round?? How can Kemp b not w a Finals app??
Griffey and Kemp in the 90’s was fun to watch for Seattle fans or not
Prime Shawn was legendary. That Finals vs the Bulls, the fact that they got there to face that team is almost as tragic as the substance abuse. That Sonics' team deserved a championship. He also played with such poise, so much emotional control and maturity compared to before. It was a complete surprise that things went south the way they did from that point on. He really seemed to be on his way to being one of the best ever. I mean, to me, he still is. I really hope he's OK.
At least we could say that Kemp was the best player in the nineteen ninety six Finals. I felt that he played better than Michael and Scottie. He just didn't get enough team support.
@@ktapreswreckd921v9 Absolutely, the Sonics were maybe missing 1 piece to get it done.
@@miguelalegria3614 I remember Nate McMillan was hurting. And there were times when Kemp needed his defense and surprisingly three point shooting.
Bring back our Sonics!
Him and Payton were my favorite duo to watch as a kid I watching sportscenter in the morning instead of cartoons at 7-8 yrs old just to watch NBA highlights
One of my favorite players of the 90's
The Reign Man is anything but forgotten, but I love you made a vid of him regardless. Forever gonna be one of the greatest dunkers imo.
My all-time favorite player. Sucks that the Sonics couldn't take advantage of Jordan's first retirement...
I think if the Sonics got passed Denver, they would've beaten HOU and NYN in the WCF and NBAF
Oh yeah fo sure.
93 wcf
94 choke 1rnd
95 again 1rnd
96 final Nba
@@lilpenny1982They absolutely would have
That 94 and 95 Rockets team was so good with Drexler.
@@BigMac785Drexler wasn't part of the '94 Rockets, making a trade for him the year after.
Man that dunk in 1991 on the contest, when viewed from the side is the pure manifestation of the 90s.
one of the best players at dunking if not the best, with unmatched athleticism. Watching Kemp at his prime was a total thrill
Imagine playing with GP, Gil/Hawkins, Detlef, Perkins to playing with Brevin Knight who couldn’t execute transition passes and defend like Payton, sub athletic Danny Ferry and a young Ilgauskas who wanted to assert himself as the new big stud for the Cavs, it was a frustrating time for a Kemp fan like me back in the day.
I always thought his dunks overshadowed his overall game (defense,jumper out to 20ft, good free throw shooter) constantly top 5 or top 10 in defensive ratings he could do it all.
I loved playing with the SuperSonics on Sega NBA ‘94
That team had it
Kemp rivaled Jordan for popularity in the mid 90's. His shirt was worn on street courts all over the world. His style and swagger are still unmatched to this day. A truly unique player. And the antics, never forget the antics!
Phenomenal video. Showing data and great info. Refreshing to see a content creator doing it right. Great job.
One of the most powerfull dunkers ever. Never forgotten. Thank You REIGNMAN.
I was lucky enough to watch him play in the state finals in Indiana when I was a kid. Awesome job
That dunk at 7:40will forever be my favorite poster dunk😂😂😂😂😂😂.. Also he was the shit on Nba Jam..... I miss my childhood
I love Shawn Kemp so much and was very happy to see the greatest in-game dunk of all time (his reverse ball dip on Rodman in the finals) make an appearance. It was also very cool to see his defensive rating history, as I don’t think I ever thought of him as even a plus defender overall, despite being a big fan. Bonkers stuff
I remember watching that game and the reverse dunk you’re talking about! The Sonics were exciting to watch! NBA on NBC!!!
92-96 Kemp was a top 3 PF in the league ONLY behind Barkley and Malone. Gary Payton is arguably the greatest player in supersonic history, but on that 96 team that went to the finals, Shawn Kemp was the best player.
Him, GP, and Schrempf's numbers more than deserve to be retired once they bring back a franchise in Seattle
@@4392amtrak They could just retire them in OKC.
@hitek9too255 that would be nice, but GP was on the record for saying he doesn't want his number retired in OKC. He'd rather wait until the NBA brings a team back in Seattle
In 96 he was the best PF.
@@hitek9too255no offence but f okc. Literally stole the damn team. Sonics were my favourite team. I was a huge fan of them and after they were moved, I cheered anybody playing against them.
I still keep Shawn's basketball cards. got to love the 90s and his game
ahh good times. this brings back so many good memories of going to key arena to watch these guys. too bad jordan and the bulls were the bullies of that era and hard to overcome. kemp, detlef, big smooth, nate and the glove always made it entertaining
I love this. Man it brings back so many memories. I remember when all this unfolded, watching as a young kid who fell in love with the game of basketball and the NBA. He was one of my favorite players. What makes this video even better is that I was actually in attendance one of those games you showed, the March 1994 game Sonics vs Hornets. What memories. He was a complete monster to watch live. Definitely had the energy of a Blake Griffen, but maybe even more ferocity and tenacity.
I don't think Kemp will ever really be forgotten, anyone who went up against Jordan and the 72-10 Bulls and performed like he did in the finals is basically immortalized.
He's unlike anyone of any era. Rainman was an absolute beast. Saying hes a Blake or Zion is complete disrespect.
that tomahawk dunk on Lister.... reignman going full kamikaze.
The Sonics were my fave dynamic team during the '90's
NBA on NBC Saturdays back in day. All stopped to watch 🏀 Kemp and crew 👍
thank you for documenting it in so much detail. I loved his game, he was spectacular! And I remember the '96 finals, I hated so much the Bulls... :D
I’m glad that you showcased that part of his career where he was able to change his game and be arguably more effective… I love when he played on Cleveland. Although my favorite Shawn Kemp will always be in a Sonics uniform.
Kemp was a monster on the court.
Great video. I had always thought that his double pointing at the Warriors guy after the famous dunk was just another example of how much of an oddball he was; thanks for explaining that it was a retaliation.
I'm glad you pointed out that kemp and payton were both good in those first two games in the 96 finals, but others weren't. I always thought that had Schrempf filled his boots to the same extent, the sonics could have made the series competitive.
I miss this dude. His game was a sight to behold.
Very good video,I remember being a Sonic's fan when Kemp played,what a player.I also remember an article in Sport's Illustrated on Kemp's 7/8 kids he had back then or more. LOL. DANG,Kemp !!! Ever hear of condoms ??? LOL.
The Reign Man! Was my Favorite player!
Kemp on another level todays NBA...totally different Level 90s nba
My absolute most favorite player from any era! Are there better players? Sure. Are they more explosive players? Not hardly.
His jump shot is one of the best in that era.
My first jersey
He's also got a great post-dunk celebration package
Thank you for these amazing videos.
He was superhuman. I was #40 because of him. Just awesome to watch.
the Bulls dynasty entertained the idea of trading Pippen for Kemp. That is how good Kemp was in the 90s.
He was aggressive on the court. As a kid I loved it!
I absolutely love watching Shawn Kemp play. Dude was a freaking force of nature. Amazing leaping ability matched with power and Grace. If you hadn't gotten hurt I could have stayed away from some injuries he would have been Hall of Fame player easy. RLTW 3/75
Raised and have lived in Seattle for 43 years. When I see Sonics content, I click.
Thank you!! This video was amazing
Shawn Kemp aka Reign Man was known for his nastiest dunk highlights who had a combination of height, finesse, and power. He competed in four slam dunk contests in his first five seasons in the league. He never won an dunk contest but did make the finals twice. I mean he has one of the best highlights of his career.
One of my favs from the 90s. Such a cool story too. These days there's no way he would have been drafted that high with all the off the court stuff. Awesome & exciting player tho.
Shawn Kemp can't be compared to Blake Griffin. He had a great jumper and an amazing post games. He did more than pick and roll or face up.
Appreciate this video.
God that JUMPER THO 🔥
No other power forward has ever had the hops and flair that Kemp had. He was awesome.
Just seen Toni Kukoc in the video. He would be perfect for this. Coming up next?
I hated seeing that NBC interview. That's was the beginning of the end
In my opinion, the dude is a hall of famer.
Most iconic celebrations of all time
Shawn Kemp and Vince Carter ❤💯
For 6 seasons straight i was a season holder b4 i left for army, i went because of this guy. To this day, i dont see much of another PF like him at all, glove was the s*** 2!
Ben Wallace
Brandon Roy
Shawn Kemp
Three guys that are only forgotten by time, NOT anyone who ever watched them play.
He just did those other guys as well
My favorite player as a youth incredibly influential
It is saddening he couldn't get a championship for his team. He was unreal and a beast.
This was a sad story. He was probably my favorite player during the finals year.
You have won me back. I was just thinking about the rain man
Kemp was a beast
As a die-hard Seattle Supersonic fan who don't exist anymore till this day it still bothers/irks me how George Karl didn't logically assign legendary defensive master "Glove" Gary Payton to defend Michael Jordan the entire series in 1996 NBA Finals as if he did we were just as stacked as the Bulls that year/the outcome potentially would've been different. Never the less regardless of off court serious issues such as alcohol-drug usage/fathering 11 children from 9 manipulating shameless money hungry groupies ect. "Reign Man" Shawn Kemp is without question the most electrifying dunker in NBA history.
Brother I just want to say that you sound really young and if you are your knowledge of 80s and 90s role players is impeccable there's been other people that are doing what you do but the level in which you do it and the more obscurity of the players that you pick like Michael Adams I still can't find that video and I want to watch it so bad I love him when he played with the Charlotte hornets that's my favorite team LJ Zo muggsy and Kendall Gill that was my squad man I love watching those guys play I wish they would have still had Rex Chapman during that era but it is what it is
Kemp and GP best duo in NBA JAM
Coach Karl doesn't get talked about he always he reminded of Don Nelson Kemp was lucky to have him as a coach or if couldve played with showtime Lakers
what made kemp special was the power behind the dunks.
He was better than Blake
Great video.
Probably the most gifted athletic freak of the 90s. And only the 2nd best NBA player to come out of Indiana.
Kemp is a hero in Seattle, still engaging with the kids and doing volunteer work. Has also been integral to the marijuana industry here, with his Shawn Kemp's Cannabis store just a block down from Key Arena. The store is very successful and has a ton of cool Sonics memorabilia inside.
Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton is the kings of the sonics period. Sonic/ bills fan
Kemp one of the best dunk ever sonics team fun to watch