Around this time of year, Hardwood Paroxysm usually does a theme week. This year, as the pool of players who began their careers in the 1990s dwindles, we thought it would be fun to celebrate the entire decade. In typical HP fashion, we will be covering ten years of basketball like a cat chasing a laser pointer. There is nothing comprehensive about our plans, around the HP Network we’re simply digging into the players, teams, and stories from that decade which interest us most. Welcome to #90sWeek.
Shawn Kemp’s NBA career may have ended with a whimper after forgettable stints with the Cavaliers, Blazers and Magic, but during his time in Seattle he was one of the most fun players of the 1990s. He was Blake Griffin before there was Blake Griffin. Kemp’s style of play combining power and athleticism helped make those Sonics teams a must-watch. He wasn’t much of a shooter, but during his heyday he was a walking double-double and surely has a place on the decade’s Mount Rushmore of dunkers.
He led Seattle to a franchise-record 64 wins in 1995-96, culminating in a Finals showdown with Michael Jordan’s Bulls. The SuperSonics came up short in six games, but Kemp averaged 23 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks a game on 55% shooting from the floor.
Perhaps Kemp’s most infamous highlight came during Seattle’s 1992 first-round playoff series against the Warriors when he absolutely obliterated poor Alton Lister with a one-handed slam. Once he catches the pass at the top of the arc you know he’s going right to the bucket. To add insult to the humiliation that already comes with being dunked on like that, Reign Man celebrated by pointing mockingly at Lister as he lay on the ground. This would surely draw a taunting technical if it happened today, but, thankfully, the officials let him get away with it:
https://youtu.be/l2GaAWdHwsw