Former NBA star Sean Kemp (53) has been released.
USA Today reported on the 9th (local time) that Kemp was released from the detention center this afternoon based on records in Pierce County, Washington, USA. Kemp, the star of the now-defunct Seattle Supersonics of the NBA, was arrested in connection with a shooting the day before. However, after investigation by the police, it was reported that he was released without any criminal charges.
Kemp was imprisoned at the Pierce County Jail in Tacoma, Washington on the 8th for shooting while driving, which is a felony.
Kemp’s attorney, Scott Boatman, said in a statement released on social media by popular NBA columnist Adrian Wojnarowski that someone had wrecked Kemp’s vehicle and stole several items, including an iPhone, and that Kemp had tracked the stolen cell phone and was in Tacoma. As he approached the suspect vehicle in a shopping mall parking lot, the occupants of the vehicle opened fire on him, and Kemp explained that he responded in self-defence.
Boatman emphasized that “Kemp’s actions were reasonable and legally justified.”
According to local broadcaster KIRO 7메이저사이트, police recovered a gun from the scene of a shooting near a Tacoma mall and no injuries were reported.
Kemp was selected by the Seattle Supersonics with the 17th overall pick in the 1989 NBA Draft and played eight seasons, then played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Portland Trail Blazers, and played in the NBA for 14 seasons until retiring from the Orlando Magic. Called Reign Man (meaning a player who dominates the game) as a player, he was a star selected as an All-Star six times. Regarded as one of the most athletic power forwards of his day, he led the Seattle SuperSonics in their prime alongside point guard Gary Payton. He reached the 1996 NBA Finals, but missed the championship after being stopped by Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls.
His prime didn’t last long. Drug problems haunted him throughout his career and after his retirement. He even checked into rehab in 2001 for cocaine use. Retiring in 2003, he was arrested two years later for possession of a semi-automatic handgun and drugs (presumably marijuana) during a traffic stop in Seattle. A year later, in 2006, he was arrested again in Houston for possession of marijuana (cannabis).
In 2012, when Washington State, to which Seattle belongs, legalized recreational marijuana, he commercialized it. He opened his second marijuana outlet in Seattle in February.