Shawn Kemp has pled guilty to second-degree assault for a 2023 shooting incident, avoiding a trial and entering a plea deal that reduces the charges. Kemp, who grew up in Elkhart, has yet to be sentenced. Photo from the National Basketball Association.

News Release

TACOMA, WASH. — Former NBA All-Star and Elkhart native Shawn Kemp pleaded guilty Tuesday, May 27 to a second-degree assault charge stemming from a shooting incident in a Tacoma mall parking lot in March 2023.

Kemp, 55, entered the plea in Pierce County Superior Court as part of a deal with prosecutors, according to the county Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. No one was injured in the shooting, but a Toyota 4Runner and another vehicle were damaged.

Originally charged with first-degree assault with a firearm enhancement, prosecutors later added another assault count and a drive-by shooting charge.

Those charges carried the potential for a lengthy prison sentence. The plea agreement reduces the charges and avoids a trial.

Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Thomas Howe recommended Kemp serve nine months in jail, followed by one year of Department of Corrections supervision and restitution. Kemp is scheduled to be sentenced in August.

Kemp is a six-time NBA All-Star best known for his tenure with the Seattle SuperSonics from 1989 to 1997.

His attorney, Tim Leary, told The Seattle Times the plea “allows him to take responsibility” while acknowledging “the self-defense nature” of the incident.

According to court filings, Kemp’s truck was broken into on Wednesday March 8, 2023, while he and employees from his cannabis dispensary attended a Seattle concert. Items stolen included keys, a cellphone, paperwork and sports memorabilia, including jerseys belonging to Kemp and former teammate Gary Payton.

Using a phone tracking app, Kemp traced the stolen phone to a 4Runner at a casino parking lot. The trial brief states the men inside later discarded some of Kemp’s property but kept the phone. Kemp tracked the phone again to the Tacoma Mall, where he confronted the same vehicle.

The defense claims a man in the back seat of the 4Runner fired at Kemp first. Kemp allegedly returned fire in an attempt to disable the vehicle, which fled the scene. The abandoned SUV was later found with an empty holster inside, but no firearm.

Court records include a 911 call from a witness who reported two men firing at each other.

Prosecutors cited the witnesses’ past dishonesty and their possession of Kemp’s stolen property as reasons for settling the case outside of court.

As part of the plea deal, Kemp will be prohibited from owning firearms and must submit a DNA sample to law enforcement.

Growing up in Elkhart, Indiana, Kemp entered the NBA directly from high school in 1989. He also played for Cleveland, Portland and Orlando and gained national fame for his athleticism and powerful dunks.