Shawn Kemp
A high-flying power forward whose thunderous dunks and athletic dominance defined the Seattle SuperSonics' fierce run in the 1990s.
Born 1969 (age 57)·American basketball player·Birthday: November 26·Generation X
Biography
Shawn Kemp led the Seattle SuperSonics to the 1996 NBA Finals, where they lost to Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls. Drafted straight out of high school in 1989, the power forward developed into a six-time All-Star. He formed a devastating partnership with point guard Gary Payton. Kemp's game was a spectacle of athletic force: alley-oop finishes, chasedown blocks, and posterizing dunks. His peak was relatively brief. After a trade to Cleveland in 1997, his career was impacted by weight fluctuations and off-court issues. Kemp was born in 1969 in Elkhart, Indiana. At his best, he represented a new breed of big man—agile, powerful, and capable of changing a game's momentum with a single, rim-rattling play.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Shawn was born in 1969, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Shawn Was Born
The biggest hits of 1969
#1 Movie
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Best Picture
Midnight Cowboy
#1 TV Show
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Shawn's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1969Born
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1974Started school
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1982Became a teenager
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1985Could drive
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1987Could vote
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1990Turned 21
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
1999Turned 30
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 40
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2019Turned 50
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2026Age 57 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- A six-time NBA All-Star during his tenure with the Seattle SuperSonics (1993-1998).
- Led the Seattle SuperSonics to the 1996 NBA Finals, where they lost to the Chicago Bulls in six games.
- Named to the All-NBA Second Team three consecutive times (1994-1996).
- Averaged a double-double for six consecutive seasons (1992-1998).
Did You Know?
He never played college basketball, entering the NBA draft directly from Concord High School in Indiana.
He famously dunked over Alonzo Mourning in the 1993 playoffs, a moment often replayed in highlight reels.
He co-owned a minority stake in the Seattle Storm WNBA team during its early years.
After retiring, he opened a sports bar called 'Oskar’s Kitchen' in Seattle.
“I wasn't just dunking on you; I was putting you on a poster.”
