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Shawn Kemp said he thought the NBA used the weight of the Seattle group led by Chris Hansen and Steve Ballmer to rally investors in Sacramento. "It seems like we were used a little bit as leverage here in Seattle," Kemp said, "and it feels that way, too." Seattle Times

Sacramento Kings, Seattle SuperSonics, Shawn Kemp, Steve Ballmer, Chris Hansen 

Kemp said, as a player, he never had a problem with Stern but that statement raised his eyebrows. "I felt like David kind of stuck it to us today," he said. "I thought that was disrespectful for the city of Seattle to see, and for a commissioner that runs the NBA that was very disrespectful. In my eyes, it just told me what we're dealing with." Seattle Times

Sacramento Kings, Seattle SuperSonics, David Stern, Shawn Kemp, Steve Ballmer, Chris Hansen 

The six-time NBA all-star and wife Marvena Kemp are bringing basketball back to Seattle after all, serving as the backbone of the ownership group behind the Seattle Flight, the International Basketball League's newest squad. The Flight will first play five games this coming season against some of the IBL's top contending teams. Only playing in a portion of contests through the upcoming season, such a trial run will help determine market visibility. The organization will subsequently be integrated as one of the IBL's full-time teams sometime within the next three years. Ridiculous Upside

Shawn Kemp, Seattle 

Chris Hansen walked on stage and was greeted with the kind of reception normally reserved for the musicians and athletes who were waiting backstage. Hedge-fund managers don't normally get rock star ovations. "I was about to tear up actually. It was inspiring," Hansen said. While former SuperSonics stars Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp got the loudest ovations, it was Hansen left accepting the most praise at a rally in downtown Seattle on Thursday afternoon to support the push for a new arena that could eventually bring back the NBA. ESPN.com

Seattle SuperSonics, Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp, Chris Hansen 

Thursday afternoon's rally crammed green and gold clad fans into Occidental Park just a few blocks north of Seattle's stadium district where CenturyLink and Safeco fields currently sit. Hansen's proposal before the King County and Seattle city councils calls for a $490 million facility just south of the Mariners' Safeco Field with nearly $300 million in private investment. MSNBC.com

Seattle SuperSonics, Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp, Chris Hansen 

Hansen said he was overwhelmed by the turnout, with estimates of at least 4,000 in attendance. The rally ended with chants of "Thank you Chris!" and included appearances by Payton, Kemp and fellow former Sonics star Detlef Schrempf. MSNBC.com

Seattle SuperSonics, Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp, Detlef Schrempf, Chris Hansen 

"You deserve everything that is going on right now and more," Payton told the crowd. "... I'm going to be with you all every step of the way." Jerseys from every generation of the Sonics past were on display as fans dug deep in their closets to pull out old uniforms with the names "Durant," "Payton," "Kemp," "Sikma," "Brown," even a Sarunas Marciulionis jersey from his one season with the Sonics in 1994-95. Businessmen in three-piece suits added green, white and gold Sonics headbands and wristbands and came from the downtown business district to join in the event. ESPN.com

Seattle SuperSonics, Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp, Chris Hansen 

Organizers expected thousands of fans to show up to see former Sonics stars, including Shawn Kemp, Gary Payton and Detlef Schrempf, who played in the NBA Finals in 1996 against Chicago. Oklahoman

Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp, Seattle, Detlef Schrempf 

Ever wonder what it would look like if Sonics legend Shawn Kemp performed a scene from Shakespeare? Well, the Reignman did just that Sunday during Bill's Bash -- a fund-raiser for the Seattle Shakespeare Company -- at Fisher Pavilion. Kemp performed a scene from The Taming of the Shrew with Seattle Times columnist Steve Kelley. Seattle Times

Shawn Kemp 

In the meantime, he and Kemp had reunited for workouts. “He’s got a lot of upside to his game,” Kemp said. “I’ve been barking at him for a while. I thought it was time to step up and show he could play a little better.” Hawes said it was more of a mutual decision to get together. “When I came into the league I had higher expectations than what I produced – especially last year, statistically, individually,” he said, adding that the summer afforded him the opportunity to “really reflect on it and say ‘OK, this year, something’s going to change, and I’ve got to start making myself head in the right direction.’ ” CSNPhilly.com

Philadelphia 76ers, Shawn Kemp, Spencer Hawes 

While he said his workouts with Kemp were “off and on” because of their conflicting schedules, they did things like run steps together at Lake Washington. There were also times when Hawes would head over to Oskar’s Kitchen, which is not far from where he grew up, just to pick Kemp’s brain. But mostly they played one-on-one. “Just getting dirty a little bit,” Kemp said. “Me and Spencer down in the post, beating each other up. A lot of elbows being thrown. A lot of real physical play.” “It was fun, definitely,” said Hawes, who at 7-1 and 245 pounds is more earthbound than Kemp. “I had to stop sometimes and catch myself: ‘Damn, I’m working out with Shawn Kemp.’” CSNPhilly.com

Philadelphia 76ers, Shawn Kemp, Spencer Hawes 

One of them, Shawn Jr., is now a scholarship player at the University of Washington – or U-Dub, as the locals call it. As for the elder Kemp, he settled back in Seattle in 2005. He’s married now. Owns a restaurant in town called Oskar’s Kitchen. Does a radio show on the local ESPN affiliate. Works out religiously; he has dropped some 55 pounds since his playing career ended in 2003 and now carries 256 on his 6-10 frame, virtually the same as in his heyday with the Sonics. And get this – SI is going to run another story about him in the near future. One that will show, he said, how he has gotten his life in order. “One big thing my mom told me was, ‘Whatever you do with yourself, don’t grow up to be an old fool,’ ” he said. “I’m glad the stuff I went through was years before and not years after.” CSNPhilly.com

Seattle SuperSonics, Shawn Kemp 

Kemp was under contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers when the start of the 1998-99 season was delayed by a lockout. When he showed up in January to prepare for the 50- game season, Kemp weighed in excess of 300 pounds, some 60 more than the previous season. “He was really very honest about it,” Mike Fratello, the Cavs coach at the time, recently told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “I said, ‘Shawn, how did this happen?’ He said, ‘Coach, I didn’t think we were coming back.’” Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Cleveland Cavaliers, Lockout, Shawn Kemp, Mike Fratello 

Jason Jones: For those wondering, noo, DeMarcus Cousins is not this lockout's Shawn Kemp. Looks to be in great shape. Twitter

Sacramento Kings, DeMarcus Cousins, Shawn Kemp 

Just as they did against Utah two weeks earlier, the Sonics overcame a sluggish start but rally to force overtime. Shawn Kemp and Sam Perkins hit big shots in the extra session to help Seattle hold on for a 103-100 win and advance to the Western Conference finals. Seattle’s matchup against the top-seeded Phoenix Suns was nothing short of two heavyweights trading roundhouse punches. Neither team won two games in a row in the series, which came down to Game 7 in Phoenix on June 5. Looking at a box score 18 years later, Karl shakes his head. The Suns made a NBA record-tying 57 free throws. Charles Barkley and Kevin Johnson combined to take 38 free throws, two more than the entire Sonics team, as Phoenix cruised to a 123-110 win. “I’m not commenting on either the officiating or the number of free throws,” Karl said after the game. “But we’re a team that has to get a flow going and we never could get a flow because of all the free throws. The only rhythm to the game was walking to the free-throw line.” NBA.com

George Karl, Seattle SuperSonics, Shawn Kemp, Kevin Johnson, Sam Perkins 

Huskies coach Jim Calhoun, coming off his third NCAA championship since 1999, compares Drummond to former UConn star Emeka Okafor. “Right now he’s a tremendous, tremendous athlete who’s working every day to become a tremendous, tremendous player,” Calhoun said. Konchalski compared Drummond to a young Shawn Kemp. “He runs the floor as well as any 6-10 you’ll find on any level,” he said. “He has terrific athletic ability.” SheridanHoops

Draft, Emeka Okafor, Shawn Kemp, Andre Drummond 

The story of the 1998-99 Cavaliers serves as a reminder that great expectations can rapidly dissolve when a team and season are thrown out of rhythm. Instead of building on a playoff appearance a season earlier, the club was plagued by injuries, inconsistency and Kemp's ignominy. The 1998-99 Cavs finished with a 22-28 record, lost 10 of their last 11 games and alienated a fan base already angered by the labor unrest. "It quickly became a disastrous season, and it helped cost me and Wayne our jobs," Fratello said. "That lockout took its toll on a lot of people." Cleveland Plain Dealer

Cleveland Cavaliers, Lockout, Shawn Kemp 

The lockout canceled the NBA summer league in 1998, just as it did this season. Once the season started, there was little time for practices or extended teaching sessions. "I think it's harder for the young guys because they don't know," Boykins said. "You can work out all you want. You can even work out against NBA guys. But until you get into an NBA training camp situation, it's totally different. That's the hardest part of the lockout. You can't prepare for an NBA training camp ... especially with the shortened camp." Cleveland Plain Dealer

Cleveland Cavaliers, Lockout, Earl Boykins, Shawn Kemp 

Kemp, who could not be reached for this story, wasn't the only player to return out of shape. Vancouver's Bryant Reeves gained 40 pounds. Dennis Scott, Patrick Ewing and Oliver Miller all put on pounds. But it was Kemp who became the puffy face of the NBA lockout. "The franchise had a desire to have a superstar," retired Cavs broadcaster Joe Tait said of Kemp, who signed a renegotiated deal worth $100 million after joining the Cavs. "But if your star begins to look more like Jupiter than Mercury, then you have a problem." Cleveland Plain Dealer

Cleveland Cavaliers, Patrick Ewing, Lockout, Joe Tait, Shawn Kemp, Bryant Reeves 

Embry, a consultant for the Toronto Raptors, is prohibited from discussing any lockout. But in his book, "The Inside Game: Race, Power and Politics in the NBA," he wrote about 1998-99 season: "Whatever teams were in the best shape would definitely have an advantage in the short schedule. We were not one of them. We were all disappointed in Shawn's physical condition. With the money we were paying him, we had every reason to expect him to stay in shape. It was not as if he could not afford to hire people to help him do that. "The Cleveland Clinic nutritionist put him on a diet, but Shawn did not have the discipline to adhere to it. We even offered to have a chef go to his house and prepare meals for him. ... I told Shawn the same thing I told Mel Turpin years ago, 'I don't want anyone playing for me that weighs more than me.' That did not work either." Cleveland Plain Dealer

Cleveland Cavaliers, Toronto Raptors, Mel Turpin, Lockout, Shawn Kemp, Wayne Embry