Ex-Seattle SuperSonics star Shawn Kemp released from jail; attorney said he acted in self-defense
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Former Seattle SuperSonics star Shawn Kemp was released from jail on Thursday afternoon, according to Pierce County records. No charges were filed against him after he was arrested a day before for a possible connection to a shooting.
The six-time All-Star was booked into Pierce County Jail in Tacoma, Washington, on Wednesday with a felony charge.
His attorney, Scott Boatman, released a statement on Thursday, per NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski. Boatman said that Kemp’s car had been broken into and several items were stolen, including his iPhone. He tracked the phone to an occupied car in the mall parking lot and when he approached, the “individuals inside the vehicle shot at Mr. Kemp, who then returned fire in self-defense.”
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Boatman said that Kemp’s “actions were reasonable and legally justified.”
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According to KIRO 7, a gun was recovered from the scene of the shooting near the Tacoma Mall and no injuries were reported.
Kemp, 53, played in the NBA for 14 seasons after being drafted by the SuperSonics out of Trinity Valley Community College in the first round of the 1989 NBA draft. He spent time with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Portland Trail Blazers before spending his final season with the Orlando Magic.
Drug problems followed Kemp through his career and beyond. He went to rehab for cocaine use in 2001. In 2005, two years removed from the league, he was arrested in Seattle for drug possession when he was found with a semiautomatic pistol and what appeared to be cocaine and marijuana during a traffic stop. A year later, he was arrested in Houston for possession of marijuana.
The state of Washington legalized recreational marijuana in 2012 and the Elkhart, Indiana, native has become an entrepreneur. He opened his second cannabis shop in Seattle in February.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ex-Seattle SuperSonics star Shawn Kemp released from jail; attorney said he acted in self-defense