Very few players in NBA history have had a highlight reel like Shawn “Reign Man” Kemp. A phenom, straight out of High School, Kemp has gone down as one of the biggest “What Ifs“ in the league. From drug problems to weight issues, there are a plethora of theories as to why the Sonics legend never ended up making the Hall of Fame. Recently, the 6’10” forward, on All The Smoke, revealed his take on why, regardless of his controversies, he should be inducted into the Naismith Basketball HOF.
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In his view, in the first eight seasons, he dominated, unlike any other player of his position. Moreover, his six NBA All-Star selections further strengthen his case.
He even started those games, in front of the two greatest power forwards, Charles Barkley and Karl Malone. The Indiana native spoke his mind on his Hall of Fame snubbing,
“Those first eight or nine years I had were good, pretty solid. I am a six-time All-Star, those six games I started, you know who I had to beat out? Charles[Barkley], and there was Karl Malone. Every year. That’s pretty consistent basketball.”
Considering that both Barkley and Malone played on the 1992 Dream Team, it’s quite astounding that someone other than the duo started in the 1992-93 All-Star game at the PF position. Selections like these would make people draw comparisons between Shawn Kemp and Michael Jordan. However, Kemp failed to keep his career stable after departing from Seattle.
On the show, he admitted that the final few years of his career “hurt” his chances of making it to the Hall of Fame. However, the 54-year-old believes his numbers were “solid” enough. He averaged 16.2 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists, which certainly validated his dominance in the paint and his contribution in scoring.
Considering most of his peers like Mitch Richmond, Tim Hardaway, and Grant Hill made the Hall of Fame over a decade ago, it might be time that the league honors Shawn Kemp’s All-Star career, correcting the wrongful snubbing.
