EX-NBA star Shawn Kemp has been through some high highs and low lows in his life.

After earning a reported $92million in the NBA, the six-time All-Star is believed to have come close to losing his entire fortune amid off-the-court issues.

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Seven-time NBA All-Star Shawn Kemp made a reported $92m in career earnings, but he is believed to have lost most of his fortune after retiring from basketballCredit: Getty

Since then, Kemp has opened several businesses in Seattle including cannabis dispensaries and a restaurantCredit: Alamy

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The ex-Sonics star’s other business venture, a sports bar called Oskar’s Kitchen, closed in 2015Credit: Alamy
But Kemp, 53, decided to turn his life around, becoming a businessman in Seattle – the city he spent most of his NBA career in – where he owns restaurants and a dispensary.

The Indiana native’s nickname, the Reign Man, accurately depicts the type of player he was in his prime – a basketball royalty who rained down dunks for the Seattle SuperSonics.

He was the youngest player in the NBA when the Sonics – now known as the Oklahoma City Thunder – drafted the athletic power forward in 1989.

Kemp started dominating opponents in the paint in his second year already, ranking top-20 in both offensive rebounds and blocks.

In 1996-97, his eighth and last season with the Sonics, only future Hall-of-Famer Chris Webb (177) made more dunks than him (166).

Kemp averaged 16.2 points, 9.6 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.5 blocks over that eight-year run, which featured a lost NBA Finals series against Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls in 1996.

In a way, the 6-foot-10 forward’s rise contributed to his Sonics exit.

Kemp wanted a salary that would reflect his star status, aiming for a $100million deal – but Seattle refused to pay him that much.

“When you play for seven years, and you’ve proved yourself to be an All-Star, then you see guys who haven’t proved themselves sign for millions of dollars, you have a right to be upset,″ he told AP in 1996.

After a season-long dispute, the Sonics traded Kemp to the Cleveland Cavaliers, who then reportedly offered him a seven-year, $107million contract.

But he never received the entire amount.

After another similarly-dominant season, the forward’s career started to crumble due to his problems with drugs and weight – and the inability to win the championship.

Kemp landed on the Portland Trail Blazers in 2000, only to be waived two years later having agreed to forfeit more than $25million, per The New York Times.

Before his release, he had attended a drug rehab center to battle his cocaine addiction.

Drugs also stood in the way of his NBA comeback, which he worked on for several years after retiring in 2003 following a season with the Orlando Magic.

Over the next 20 years, most of Kemp’s fortune reportedly vanished with child support obligations believed to be the main reason why.

The ex-Sonics star is said to have at least seven children with six different women.

To start his life anew, he headed back to where his success originated.

He opened a sports bar called Oskar’s Kitchen in Seattle’s Lower Queen Anne, an area he used to live in back in his playing days, and became part of the local community.

“I’m a regular person who lives in the community,” Kemp said in 2012, two years after the eatery opened. “I do regular things.”

Although the bar closed in 2015, the ex-NBA star still runs a business in the area having opened a cannabis dispensary in the nearby Belltown neighborhood and another one in a more southern SoDo.

And he is part-owner of the Amber’s Kitchen restaurant, which is also located in Belltown.

However, Kemp’s efforts to get his life back have been disrupted by his alleged involvement in a drive-by shooting in Tacoma, Washington.

On May 4, 2023, he reportedly pleaded not guilty to a first-degree assault charge and was then released without bail.