Return of Reign Man

MONROE -- It wasn't long ago that we looked at Shawn Kemp with disappointment and despair.

In April 2005, he was arrested in North Seattle for an investigation of drug possession. He and another man were found with cocaine, about 60 grams of marijuana and a semiautomatic pistol, according to reports by the King County Sheriff's office.

Later that month, Kemp was formally charged with drug possession and pleaded guilty. A little more than a year later, Kemp again was arrested for misdemeanor marijuana possession in Houston.

It was such a confusing, tormenting time. The arrests coincided with several comeback attempts by Kemp, 10 years after the prime of his career, when he powerfully and explosively led the Sonics to several runs in the NBA playoffs.

Kemp's comeback attempts, however, fell short. He was grossly out of shape in stints with Portland and Orlando from 2000 to 2003.

In 2006, Dallas coach Avery Johnson scheduled a personal workout with Kemp in Houston, but Kemp failed to appear for reasons that still aren't clear.

So we wondered and worried. Was this another supreme athlete, one whose robust, imaginative slam dunks made us jump out of our seats as if hit by a cattle prod, but one whose demons would not let him free?

"I got myself into some trouble a few years ago," Kemp said Sunday. "I told myself that I'm going to make up for it. So this is the type of thing I do in my spare time instead of whatever else I did."

The type of thing Kemp does now, at 38, is to tour around the country and play hoops with younger guys. Sunday found him at Monroe High School, playing for the North team in the International Basketball League's West Division North/South All-Star Classic.

At times, Kemp showed flashes of being able to take over the game, at least at this level. In the North's 160-143 victory, Kemp scored 32 points, but required 35 shots to do so. Much of the time, he decided to cast off well behind the three-point line. Other times, he would drive the lane and toss up awkward, silly attempts at the basket. Sometimes, he'd not bother to run the court to play defense.

Kemp's play barely resembled that of the fabled Reign Man, as he was known as a Sonic. Yes, he still can dunk. He looks in fine shape for one pushing 40; he claims he weighs 255 pounds on his 6-foot-10 frame. And that allows him to hold his own among younger players at this level.

"I still like to compete with these guys, just to let them know the old guy's still got a little juice left," he said, smiling.

He has lost none of his aura as far as fans are concerned. A 50-foot line of people, some of whom were kids born well after Kemp's best days on the court, waited patiently as Kemp signed autographs after the game.

Kemp posed with them for photos and graciously thanked them as they heaped praise on him. His face has aged little. His body -- powerful yet sleek -- appears much as he did when he was a six-time NBA All-Star and his body is close to his playing weight.

Kemp looks to have left the demons behind. He says he plays basketball weekly and has taken up distance running. His wants to run in the New York Marathon in the next two years.

"I still have to lose about 15 pounds," Kemp said, "but that's my goal."

He has not ruled out another comeback attempt. The feeling is that he believes he cheated himself by allowing his body to balloon to more than 300 pounds.

He carries with him a feeling of unfinished business.

"The game of basketball is still fun for me," Kemp said. "A lot of teams remember me from Orlando four or five years ago. I think they'd be surprised if they saw what kind of shape I'm in. I've talked to some people. I just don't want to be some old man who pushed it.

"I still play basketball strictly out of love. But if I get a phone call one day, I'll probably think about it."

Then he smiled. It was a winner's smile.

It was a clean smile, one that wiped away the despair we felt just a few years ago.

Sports columnist John Sleeper: sleeper@heraldnet.com. To reach Sleeper's blog, "Dangling Participles," go to www.heraldnet.com/danglingparticiples.