Kemp or Kempe may refer to:

People[link]

• Kemp Hannon, American politician
• Albert Edward Kemp (1858–1929), Canadian businessman and politician
• Alfred Kempe (1849–1922), English mathematician
• Anthony Fenn Kemp (1773–1868), Australian soldier and merchant
• Arthur Kemp (born 1962), South African/British politician and writer
• Bolivar E. Kemp (1871–1933), Louisiana congressman
• Bolivar Edwards Kemp, Jr. (1904–1965), Louisiana Attorney General, 1948-1952
• Carl Kempe (1884–1967), Swedish paper producer
• Charles Eamer Kempe (1837–1907), English stained glass designer
• Dan Kemp (1927–2000), American actor
• David Kemp (politician) (born 1941), Australian politician
• David Kemp (footballer) (born 1953), English footballer
• David Kemp (professor) (fl. 1978), British hearing researcher
• Earl Kemp (born 1929), American science fiction editor, critic and fan
• Edward Kemp (1817–1891), English garden designer and author
• Elise Kemp (1881–1917), New Zealand born nurse and nursing sister
• Frieder Kempe (fl. since 2001), German scientist and inventor
• Gary Kemp (born 1959), English pop musician
• Gene Kemp (born 1926), British author
• George Meikle Kemp (1795–1844), Scottish carpenter /joiner, draughtsman and architect
• Hal Kemp (1904–1940), American jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, bandleader, composer, and arranger
• Harry Kemp (1883–1960), American poet and prose writer
• C. Henry Kempe (1922–1984), American pediatrician who identified the Battered child syndrome.
• Jack Kemp (1935–2009), American politician and football quarterback
• Jacques Kemp (born 1949), Dutch businessman
• Jan Kemp (1949–2008), American academic who exposed the bias in passing college football players
• Jan Kemp (South African), (1872–1946), South African Boer leader, rebel general and politician
• Jennifer Kemp (born 1955), American swimmer
• Jeremy Kemp (born 1935), English actor
• John Kemp (c. 1380 – 1454), Archbishop of Canterbury
• Joseph Kemp (1872–1933), English-born New Zealand Baptist minister and preacher
• Kempe Gowda I (1513–69), Yelahanka chieftain, founded the city of Bangalore
• Kepa Te Rangihiwinui (c. 1820–98), also known as Major Kemp, Māori military leader
• Kirsten Kemp (born 1970), American actress and television presenter
• Lindsay Kemp (born 1938), British dancer, actor, teacher, mime artist and choreographer
• Margery Kempe (c. 1373–after 1438), English autobiographer, religious pilgrim
• Martin Kemp (entertainer) (born 1961), English actor and musician
• Martin Kemp (art historian) (fl. since 1970), British art historian and professor
• Matthew Kemp (born 1980), Australian footballer
• Mathew Kemp (politician) (died 1682), Virginia colonial politician, Speaker of the Virginia House of Burgesses
• Matt Kemp (born 1984), American baseball outfielder
• Peter Kemp (rower) (1853–1951), Australian sculler
• Peter Kemp (swimmer) (born 1878), British swimmer
• Richard Kemp (born 1955, Lubbock, Texas), American, Producer, Screenwriter
• Rick Kemp (born 1941), English musician
• Rod Kemp (born 1944), Australian politician
• Rose Kemp (born 1984), English singer and guitarist
• Ross Kemp (born 1964), English actor and journalist
• Rudolf Kempe (1910–76), German conductor
• Shawn Kemp (born 1969), American basketball player
• Stacey Kemp (born 1988), English pair skater
• Steve Kemp (born 1954), American baseball player
• Steve Kemp (musician) (born 1978), English rock drummer
• Tara Kemp (born 1964), American singer
• Thomas Read Kemp (1783–1844), English property developer and politician
• Troy Kemp (born 1966), Bahamas former high jumper
• Ursula Kemp (c. 1525 – 1582), English cunning woman and midwife
• Will Kempe (actor) (born 1963), Bermudan actor
• William Kempe (died c. 1603), English actor and morris dancer
• Willie Kemp (1888–1965), Scottish singer and writer
• Willy Kemp (born 1925), Luxembourgian professional road bicycle racer

Places[link]

United States

• Kemp, Illinois
• Kemp, Oklahoma
• Kemp, Texas

Things[link]

• Kemp (wool), a type of sheep's hair
• Kempe chain, part of the four-colour theorem
• The Ghost of Thomas Kempe, a novel by Penelope Lively
• Kemps, a card game
• "Kemp" (song), a song appearing on Home From Home by Millencolin
• KEMP Technologies, a networking appliances company

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Shawn Kemp

No. 40, 4
Power forward
Personal information
Born	(1969-11-26) November 26, 1969 (age 42) Elkhart, Indiana
High school	Concord (Elkhart, Indiana)
Listed height	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight	230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
College	Trinity Valley CC
NBA Draft	1989 / Round: 1 / Pick: 17th overall
Selected by the Seattle SuperSonics
Pro career	1989–2003
Career history
1989–1997	Seattle SuperSonics
1997–2000	Cleveland Cavaliers
2000–2002	Portland Trail Blazers
2002–2003	Orlando Magic
Career highlights and awards
6× NBA All-Star (1993–1998) 3× All-NBA Second Team (1994–1996)
Career NBA statistics
Points	15,347 (14.6 ppg)
Rebounds	8,834 (8.4 rpg)
Blocks	1,279 (1.2 bpg)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals Competitor for  United States World Championships Gold 1994 Canada National team

Shawn T. Kemp (born November 26, 1969) is a former American professional basketball player, who played in the National Basketball Association for 14 seasons. He was a six-time NBA All-Star and a three-time All-NBA Second Team member.

Early years[link]

Kemp attended Concord High School in Elkhart, Indiana. He was considered to be one of the top four or five players nationally his senior year, and led his team to the state championship finals. Kemp finished third for the state's coveted Mr. Basketball award (behind Woody Austin and Chandler Thompson). During his senior year, Kemp signed a national letter-of-intent to play basketball at the University of Kentucky. However, he left the team in November 1988 after he was accused of pawning two gold chains that had been reported stolen from his teammate Sean Sutton, the son of then Kentucky head coach Eddie Sutton. Sean Sutton did not press charges, but Kemp transferred to Trinity Valley Community College in Texas.^[1] After a semester at TVCC, where he did not play, 19-year-old Shawn Kemp declared himself eligible for the 1989 NBA Draft.

Basketball career[link]

Seattle SuperSonics[link]

The Seattle SuperSonics drafted Kemp in the first round of the 1989 NBA Draft. Kemp struggled to adjust to his new life as an NBA player. Although extremely athletic, Kemp was young and struggled to find his place in the NBA. At the time, he was the youngest player in the NBA. In his first season in Seattle, Kemp was mentored heavily by teammate Xavier McDaniel. As the season progressed, Kemp's desire to learn and become better propelled him into stardom. Kemp finally began to find his place in the NBA as a star during his second season with the Sonics. Together with Gary Payton, Detlef Schrempf, Sam Perkins and Nate McMillan, they became a highly successful squad. After Kemp's second NBA season, he picked up the nickname "Reign Man" after Sonics announcer Kevin Calabro saw a poster with the name and found it fitting to add to his radio broadcasts.^[2]

He played for the US national team in the 1994 FIBA World Championship in Toronto, winning the gold medal.^[3] He also appeared in MTV's Rock N' Jock annual celebrity basketball game, where he dunked upon a young Leonardo DiCaprio.

Kemp's career peaked in 1995–96, when he and Payton led the Sonics to a franchise-record 64 wins and their first NBA Finals appearance since 1979. They faced Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, who were coming off an NBA record 72 wins. The Sonics managed to push the heavily favored Bulls to six games before losing. In the finals, Kemp posted per game averages of 23.3 points on 55% shooting from the field, 10.0 rebounds and 2 blocks.

Kemp, having signed a long-term contract before the rapid increase in NBA salaries, was earning substantially less than most players of his repute. He was outraged when Sonics management denied his request for a raise, while offering Jim McIlvaine, a five-year, $35 million contract. Kemp threatened to refuse to play in the upcoming season, and the resulting tension with management eventually led to a blockbuster three-team trade following the 1996–1997 season that sent Kemp to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Milwaukee Bucks forward Vin Baker to the Sonics, and Terrell Brandon and Tyrone Hill from the Cavaliers to the Bucks.

Cleveland Cavaliers[link]

Kemp played three seasons with the Cavaliers, where he battled weight problems and often appeared to lack the drive that made him such a force in Seattle. Despite this, he posted career-high numbers for points per game.

During the lockout shortened 1998–1999 NBA season, Kemp reportedly showed up to training camp weighing 275 pounds, though Cleveland's then general manager Wayne Embry revealed that he was actually 315 pounds.^[4] Though unable to shed the weight, Kemp still managed to average 20.5 points and 9.2 rebounds. But again, he was not in the same explosive form that he was known for.

Portland Trail Blazers[link]

He was then traded to the Portland Trail Blazers after the 1999–2000 season. The trade reunited Kemp with Bob Whitsitt, who had originally brought Kemp to Seattle. However, Kemp's play began to decline significantly. The last few years of Kemp's professional basketball career were riddled with problems stemming from his weight, as well as cocaine and alcohol abuse. His first season in Portland ended early when he entered drug rehabilitation.

After two seasons with the Blazers, Kemp was waived prior to the 2002–03 season.^[5]

Orlando Magic[link]

He was signed as a free agent for the Orlando Magic, and helped the Magic reach the playoffs despite the loss of starting small forward Grant Hill. During his one season in Orlando, Kemp played in his 1000th NBA game. In their first round series, the Magic took an early three games to one lead before losing to the Detroit Pistons in seven games. Following the 2002–03 season, Shawn Kemp was replaced by free agent forward Juwan Howard.

NBA comeback attempts[link]

In April of the 2005-06 NBA season, Kemp's NBA comeback chances looked promising.^[6] The eventual Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks considered adding Kemp to their roster in time for the NBA playoffs. Mavs' coach, and former Sonic teammate, Avery Johnson scheduled a personal workout to take place in Houston, where Kemp trained for several months. However, Kemp failed to appear because of undisclosed reasons. The two parties tried to re-schedule a workout but the NBA refused to grant Dallas an injury exception (for a 16th player). Ultimately Kemp did not get a second chance to join the Mavs that season.^[7]

In June 2006, 3 months after a drug arrest, the Denver Post reported that Kemp had slimmed down to the playing weight of his all-star days and was determined to join an NBA team, possibly the Denver Nuggets, and finish his career "the right way."^[8] The Nuggets ultimately turned their attention away from Kemp, signing power forward Reggie Evans. Kemp drew some interest from the Chicago Bulls in September 2006, but missed his scheduled workout to visit an ailing relative instead.^[9]

During halftime of a November 5, 2006 Sonics game, Kemp was announced as one of the 16 members of the Seattle SuperSonics' 40-year anniversary team. After having the longest ovation of all the players, Kemp said after the celebration that he would play with a team in Rome and was still considering a comeback to the NBA. Kemp, however, did not secure a position on an NBA roster during the 2006–07 season.

Italy[link]

On August 18, 2008, Kemp signed a one-year contract with Premiata Montegranaro of Italian League. Despite being almost 39, he was said to be in good shape. The Premiata deal came about by the good relationship between Kemp and Roberto Carmenati, the new Team Director of Montegranaro.^[10] Kemp reported to the team, played in three preseason games and then returned to Houston to assess his home for damage from Hurricane Ike. Kemp and Premiata Montegranaro decided to part ways, and the contract was rescinded.^[11]

Personal life[link]

As of 1998, Kemp had fathered at least 7 children.^[12] This number is alleged to be even higher, resulting in Kemp being an easy target for commentators' jokes.^{[citation needed]}

His oldest son, Shawn Kemp Jr., committed to play basketball for Auburn University on November 11, 2009. Shawn Jr, a graduate of Cherokee High School in Canton, Georgia is a 6'9" 220 pound center. He was named as an alternate in the 2009 McDonald's High School All-American Classic. Shawn Jr was heavily recruited by Florida, Alabama, Indiana, and Arkansas. Kemp Jr., did not qualify academically and did not play for Auburn during the 2010-11 season.^[13] In 2011, Kemp Jr. signed with the University of Washington.^[14]

Shawn Kemp Sr. appeared on the 2009 season premiere of Pros vs. Joes.

Legal problems[link]

On April 4, 2005 Shawn Kemp was arrested in Shoreline, Washington for an investigation of drug possession. Kemp along with another man were found with cocaine, about 60 grams of marijuana and a semiautomatic pistol, according to the King County Sheriff's Office. On April 29 Kemp was formally charged with drug possession and pleaded guilty.^[15] Kemp was again arrested for misdemeanor marijuana possession in Houston, Texas on July 21, 2006.^[16]

NBA statistics[link]

See also[link]

• List of National Basketball Association players with 1000 games played
• List of National Basketball Association career free throw scoring leaders
• List of National Basketball Association career rebounding leaders
• List of National Basketball Association career blocks leaders
• List of National Basketball Association career turnovers leaders
• List of National Basketball Association players with most blocks in a game

Notes[link]

External links[link]

• Shawn Kemp at NBA.com
• Shawn Kemp historical page at NBA.com
• Shawn Kemp at Basketball-Reference.com
• Shawn Kemp at DatabaseBasketball.com
• Reignman.com, official site
• sk40.com – Let It Reign, fan site

Matt Kemp
Kemp with the Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers – No. 27
Center fielder
Born: (1984-09-23) September 23, 1984 (age 27) Midwest City, Oklahoma
Bats: Right	Throws: Right
MLB debut
May 28, 2006 for the Los Angeles Dodgers
Career statistics (through May 21, 2012)
Batting average	.296
Hits	882
Home runs	140
Runs batted in	485
Stolen bases	146
Teams
Los Angeles Dodgers (2006–present)
Career highlights and awards
NL All-Star (2011) NL RBI Champion (2011) NL Home Run Champion (2011) 2x Gold Glove Award (2009, 2011) 2x Silver Slugger Award (2009, 2011) Hank Aaron Award (2011) Baseball America Player of the Year (2011) 30–30 club (2011)

Matthew Ryan "Matt" Kemp (born September 23, 1984, in Midwest City, Oklahoma)^[1] is a Major League Baseball outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers.^[2]

Kemp was drafted by the Dodgers in the 6th round of the 2003 draft and made his major league debut in 2006. In 2011, Kemp led the National League in runs scored (115), total bases (353), OPS+ (171), WAR (10.0), home runs (39), and runs batted in (115). Additionally, he became the first player to finish in the top two in both home runs and steals since Hank Aaron in 1963.

High school[link]

Kemp attended Midwest City High School, where he was a standout in basketball and baseball.^[2] He was teammates with Shelden Williams on the varsity basketball team that won the state title their junior year.

Kemp, along with Williams and three other teammates, was accused of raping a 19-year-old woman at the time of a high school all-star basketball tournament on January 20, 2002, at the Columbus, Ohio Hyatt hotel.^[3][4][5] The players were suspended from the team during the investigation.^[6] The woman did not press charges, and the district attorney opted to not pursue the matter due to a lack of evidence.^[7]

Kemp was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 6th round of the 2003 draft, and signed with the team on June 5, 2003.

Minor leagues[link]

He started his professional career for the Gulf Coast Dodgers in 2003 and followed that up with stints with the Columbus Catfish in 2004 and the Vero Beach Dodgers in 2004–05. He was selected to the Florida State League All-Star team in 2005, and set Vero Beach franchise records for home runs (27) and slugging percentage (.569).

Major leagues[link]

Los Angeles Dodgers (2006–present)[link]

2006[link]

He began 2006 with the AA Jacksonville Suns, where he hit .327 with 7 homers, 34 RBIs and 11 steals, prompting a promotion to the major league squad. His promotion was spurred by an effort to provide regular rest for center fielder Kenny Lofton and oft injured right field All-Star J.D. Drew.

Kemp made his major league debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 5, 2006, against the Pittsburgh Pirates.^[8] He hit his first Major League homer on June 1 in his second Dodger Stadium at-bat off the Philadelphia Phillies' Gavin Floyd. He homered in three straight games from June 1–3 against the Phillies and homered twice on June 11 off Colorado Rockies starter Aaron Cook. He also became the first Dodger and 5th major league player to hit four homers in his first 10 days with the team.^[2]

In mid-July, he was re-assigned to the AAA Las Vegas 51s but was recalled to the Dodgers on September 1.

2007[link]

Kemp at the plate in 2008

Kemp started the 2007 season on the major league roster but lost his place after suffering an injury while running into the outfield fence at Dodger Stadium. Upon his return from the injury, he was optioned back to Las Vegas and didn't return to the Dodgers until mid-June. Once recalled, he enjoyed an outstanding sophomore campaign with the bat batting .342, clubbing 10 home runs, and driving in 42 runs while splitting time with Andre Ethier. However, he made the fourth most outs in the base paths in the National League in 2007.

2008[link]

Going into the season, Kemp was expected to battle for one of the corner outfield positions, though his spot in right field was essentially guaranteed. After driving in 11 runs and stealing 6 bases. he was named "NL Player of the Week" for the week of April 28 – May 4.^[9]

After a knee injury to Andruw Jones, Kemp became the Dodgers' regular center fielder. He finished the season with a .297 average, 18 homers and 76 RBI. He was also second on the team in stolen bases with 35.^[10] In addition, he set a Dodgers record with 153 strikeouts in a season.

2009[link]

Kemp had his first career walk-off hit on June 16 against the Oakland A's.^[11] On September 24, he became the first player in Dodger history to hit at least .295, with 25 home runs, 100 RBIs, and 30 steals in one season. He finished the year with .297, 26 home runs, 101 RBI, and 34 steals (3rd in the NL).

He hit his first career post-season home run on October 7 in his first at-bat of the NLDS against the St. Louis Cardinals. After the season, Kemp was selected as a recipient of both the Gold Glove Award and the Silver Slugger Award. He also tied for second with three others in the majors with 3 grand slams.

2010[link]

Kemp returns to the dugout after hitting a home run on May 22, 2010

Kemp began the 2010 season in excellent fashion, hitting 7 home runs in the month of April, including 4 in four days from April 13–16. However, he slumped badly in the second half of the season and finished with a .249 batting average, 28 home runs, 89 RBIs, and 19 steals while playing in all 162 games for the first time in his career. He also broke his own single-season Dodger record for strikeouts, with 170.

Kemp was the subject of some criticism in 2010 from General Manager Ned Colletti who called him out publicly early in the season for poor baserunning.^[12] Kemp had several embarrassing gaffes on the base paths during the season and was caught stealing 15 times.^[13]

He hit home runs in five straight games to end the season, the first major league player to ever accomplish that feat and the first Dodger since Shawn Green in 2001 to hit homers in five consecutive games.

2011[link]

After his much publicized problems on the base paths the previous season, Kemp arrived at spring training early to work with new Dodger coach Davey Lopes on his base running. Kemp announced his intention to steal 40 bases this season and Lopes hoped they would be high percentage steals.^[14] At the end of the season, Kemp had the 40 steals and was only caught 11 times, a significant improvement in percentage from the previous year, and his work with Lopes was credited for much of the improvement.^[15]

After being one of the league leaders in home runs, stolen bases, RBIs, and batting average during the first half of the season, Kemp was voted as a starter for the National League squad in the 2011 Major League Baseball All-Star Game in Arizona. He also accepted an invitation to participate in the Home Run Derby at the All-Star Game.^[16]

The day before the All-Star Game, Giants' manager and 2011 NL All-Star Manager, Bruce Bochy, announced his decision to bat Kemp 3rd in the line up. Explaining his decision, Bochy said about Kemp, "He's a guy with speed, power, a guy that can beat you with a base hit or a long ball. He's what you call a complete player – tremendous defender, but more so in the 3-hole, he can do so many things for you. He's so dangerous."^[17] Kemp, with a single and a walk, became the first Dodger to reach base twice in an All-Star Game since Mike Piazza in 1996.

Kemp hit his 30th home run of the season on August 26, and in the process became the second Dodger player of all time to hit at least 30 homers and steal at least 30 bases in the same season (30–30 club). The only other one was Raúl Mondesí in 1997 and 1999. He picked up his 40th stolen base on September 17, becoming the 18th Major Leaguer and first Dodger in history to hit at least 30 homers and steal at least 40 bases. Kemp also scored his 100th run of the season, making him just the 10th L.A. Dodger to score 100 runs and have 100 RBIs in a season, and the first since Jeff Kent in 2005. He hit his 35th home run on September 21, making him the 14th Major Leaguer (and first since Alfonso Soriano in 2006) to hit at least 35 home runs and steal at least 35 bases in a season.

On September 20, the Dodgers announced Kemp was selected by his teammates as the recipient of the 2011 Roy Campanella Award, which is given annually to the Dodger player who best exemplifies the spirit and leadership of the late Roy Campanella.^[18] He also won the NL Player of the Week Award for the week of September 19–25, 2011 after he hit .423 (11 for 26) with 9 runs scored and 3 home runs during that week.^[19]

Kemp wound up hitting 39 home runs in 2011 with 126 RBIs, leading the league in both categories, the first Dodger to do so since Dolph Camilli in 1941. He also led the league in runs scored (115), total bases (353), OPS+ (171), and WAR (10.0). He finished second in slugging percentage (.586), OPS (.986), extra base hits (76), and stolen bases (40, tied), and third in batting average (.324) and outfield assists (11).^[20] Kemp also extended his games played streak to 364 games, as he played in every game of the season. He was the first player to finish in the top two in both home runs and steals since Hank Aaron in 1963.

Kemp was selected for a number of post-season awards, including the Baseball America Major League Player of the Year,^[21] the Hank Aaron Award for the top hitter in the National League (the first Dodger player to ever win the award)^[22] the Golden Glove Award and the Silver Slugger Award. On October 27, he was named to the 2011 Sporting News National League All-Star team.^[23] On November 22, he came in second to Ryan Braun in the voting for the National League Most Valuable Player Award.^[24]

After the season, Kemp signed a franchise record 8-year, $160 million contract extension.^[25]

2012[link]

Kemp started the 2012 season off by winning the National League Player of the Week award for the opening weekend. He hit two home runs and drove in eight RBI during the opening series against the San Diego Padres. He was also the first Dodger to record three consecutive multi-hit games to start the season since Adrian Beltre did it in 2000. This was the third time he had won the award, and second consecutive as he had won it the final week of 2011 as well. ^[26] On April 10, Kemp became the first LA Dodger to have an RBI in the first five games of the season since J. D. Drew in 2006 and, counting the end of the previous season, he had nine straight games with an RBI, tying Roy Campanella (1955) and Augie Galan (1944) for the Dodgers franchise record.^[27] Kemp also won the Player of the Week award for the second week of the season, which, combined with winning the award in the last week of 2011, makes him the first and only player to ever win three consecutive awards. He is also only the second player to win the award twice to begin the season, the other being Tony Armas in 1981. Kemp hit 12-22 with 4 HR and a 1.182 slugging percentage, leading the club to its best 10-game start since 1981.^[28] Kemp hit his 10th home run of the season on April 25, tying Gary Sheffield's club record for homers in April set in 2000.^[29] He broke Sheffield's record with a walk-off homer against the Washington Nationals on April 28.^[30] Kemp was also named National League player of the month for April.^[31] Kemp was placed on the disabled list on May 14 because of a hamstring injury, ending his streak of 399 consecutive games played, which was the longest in the majors at the time.^[32] After his DL stint, he promptly re-injured his hamstring two days later while running the bases and returned to the DL.^[33]

Nickname[link]

Kemp's nickname is "The Bison."^[34] During the second major league game of Kemp's career, on May 29, 2006, he stole second base in the fourth inning, after which Atlanta Braves television announcer Don Sutton said he looked "like a big buffalo running around the bases." The observation was appropriate due to Kemp's imposing size – the Dodgers' roster lists him at 6' 3" tall and 225 pounds – and surprisingly fast foot-speed. The word "buffalo" was modified to "bison," by the commenter D4P^[35] on Jon Weisman's popular Dodgers blog, Dodger Thoughts,^[36] as it is a more proper term for the North American mammal to which the moniker refers. It wasn't until the next day when the starting lineup did not include Kemp that baseball writer Eric Enders, also commenting in Dodger Thoughts added the capitalized article in front of the animal, completing the nickname, writing "So much for looking forward to watching The Bison tonight."^[37]

The nickname is also a play on Kemp's Oklahoma roots. A bison is the state of Oklahoma's official animal.

Personal life[link]

	Biography portal
	Baseball portal

Kemp resides in Los Angeles during the off season and is a Los Angeles Lakers fan. Kemp is also a San Francisco 49ers fan.^[38][39]

Kemp dated pop singer Rihanna from December 2009 to November 2010.^[40][41][42]

Kemp is actively involved in charities for children, even creating a community initiative called Kemp's Kids in 2008 and 2009 that hosted children from the Los Angeles area during several games at Dodger Stadium. Some of these children were from the Challenger Boys & Girls Club.^[43]

He is friends with Shelden Williams and Dexter Fowler.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Matt Kemp

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)

Blake Griffin

Griffin with the Clippers
No. 32 – Los Angeles Clippers
Power Forward
Personal information
Born	(1989-03-16) March 16, 1989 (age 23) Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Nationality	American
High school	Oklahoma Christian School (Edmond, Oklahoma)
Listed height	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight	251 lb (114 kg)
Career information
College	Oklahoma
NBA Draft	2009 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1st overall
Selected by the Los Angeles Clippers
Pro career	2009–present
Career history
2009–present	Los Angeles Clippers
Career highlights and awards
NBA Rookie of the Year (2011) 2× NBA All-Star (2011, 2012) All-NBA Second Team (2012) NBA All-Rookie First Team (2011) NBA Slam Dunk Champion (2011) Adolph Rupp Trophy (2009) AP National Player of the Year (2009) John R. Wooden Men's Player of the Year Award (2009) NABC Player of the Year (2009) Naismith College Player of the Year (2009) Oscar Robertson Trophy (2009) Big 12 Player of the Year (2009)
Stats at NBA.com

Blake Austin Griffin (born March 16, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Griffin had a renowned high school career at Oklahoma Christian School, winning state titles each of his four years under his father, Tommy Griffin, who was the head coach. He played college basketball for the University of Oklahoma Sooners and was awarded numerous accolades in his second year including the Naismith College Player of the Year, Oscar Robertson Trophy and the John Wooden Award.^[1]

Griffin left college after two seasons to enter the 2009 NBA Draft where he was selected first overall by the Clippers. In his first season, he broke his left kneecap, which he injured during the final pre-season game, and underwent surgery missing the entire 2009–10 season. He made his NBA debut as a rookie the following season and was selected as an All-Star, won the 2011 NBA Slam Dunk Contest and was named the NBA Rookie of the Year. In 2011, Sports Illustrated ranked him as one of the NBA's 15 Greatest Rookies of All Time.^[2]

Early years[link]

Childhood[link]

Blake Griffin was born on March 16, 1989, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, to Tommy and Gail Griffin.^[3] His father was a basketball center and track standout at NAIA Northwestern Oklahoma State University.^[4] Griffin and his older brother, Taylor Griffin, were home-schooled by their mother from first grade until Taylor was in the tenth grade and Blake was in eighth.^[5][6][7][8] The Griffin brothers are bi-racial, their father being African-American and their mother White.^[9] Growing up, he was good friends with Sam Bradford, who currently plays for the St. Louis Rams and played on the same Athletes First AAU basketball team with Xavier Henry, now with the New Orleans Hornets.^[8][10] Griffin’s parents owned a trophy company that Bradford’s father would use and Bradford’s father owned a gym where Griffin and his brother Taylor played basketball.^[11] Apart from basketball, he also played baseball as a first baseman and football as a wide receiver, safety and a tight end.^[11][12]

High school[link]

After years of competing against his brother, Taylor, Griffin enrolled at Oklahoma Christian School in 2003, after Taylor. They played under their father, who was the head coach. They played together during the 2003–04 and 2004–05 high school seasons, winning two state high school basketball championships together.^[5] In his freshmen year, the Oklahoma Christian Saints posted a perfect 29–0 season and won the Class 3A boys state championship game held at the State Fair Arena against Riverside Indian School, 55–50.^[13] In his sophomore year, the Saints repeated as Class 3A state champions, defeating Sequoyah-Tahlequah 51–34, where he scored 12 points to go along with 9 rebounds.^[14] The team finished the season with a 24–2 record,^[15] with Griffin averaging 13.6 points per game. He was later named to the Little All-City All-State team in what was his final high school season with his brother.^[16] After his sophomore year, his brother accepted a scholarship to play college basketball for the University of Oklahoma Sooners. During the summer of 2005, he was a member of the Athletes First AAU team, where he played against Kevin Durant and Ty Lawson's AAU team, the DC Blue Devils.^[17][18]

During his junior season, the Oklahoma Christian basketball team was moved down to Class 2A from the Class 3A.^[19] As he began his third season with the Saints, he was quickly developing into a strong and athletic player,^[20] as he led the Saints to a third straight state championship, scoring 22 points, 9 rebounds and 6 blocks, defeating Washington High School 57–40.^[21] He was named the state tournament MVP,^[22] and the Saints finished the season 27–1, with Griffin averaging 21.7 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 4.9 assists. For his efforts, he was named The Oklahoman Player of the Year and to the Tulsa World Boys All-State First Team.^[23] His play attracted the attention of the new basketball head coach for Oklahoma, Jeff Capel, who first heard of him through his brother Taylor.^[4] That spring, Capel saw him play for the first time and was impressed with his combination of size, strength and athleticism.^[4] Capel liked the fact that Griffin had not yet become a household name among recruiters and recruited him because he felt he was the player he needed to rebuild his tenure with the Oklahoma men's basketball program.^[4] He had been considering Duke, Kansas, North Carolina and Texas,^[4] but his brother eventually sold him on joining Oklahoma when he raved about the direction of the Sooners and the chance to play together again for his home state.^[24]

Griffin committed to Oklahoma before the start of his senior season^[24] and averaged 26.8 points, 15.1 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 2.9 blocks per game as a senior while leading the team to a 26–3 record.^[3] In a game against Oklahoma City Southeast, he finished with an eye-popping triple-double, 41 points, 28 rebounds, and 10 assists.^[25] The Saints advanced through the playoffs, defeating Crescent in the quarterfinals and Foyil in the semifinals to earned a berth in the Class 2A state championship.^[26] On March 10, 2007, he played his final high school game in the state title game against Pawnee High School.^[16] He registered 22 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 blocks, as the Saints defeated Pawnee 81–50, winning their fourth straight state title.^[5] He was named the Class 2A state tournament MVP for the second consecutive year after averaging 26.6 points per game in the tournament, winning its three games by an average of 30.3 points.^[3] During his four-year run, the Oklahoma Christian Saints posted a 106–6 overall record.^[27]

Griffin was named the Player of the Year by both the Tulsa World and The Oklahoman and named a Oklahoma Boys All-State First Team, EA Sports All-American Second Team and a Parade Third Team All-American.^[25][28] He was ranked as the nation's #13 high school senior by HoopScoop, #20 by scout.com and #23 by rivals.com,^[29] and as the country's third-best power forward by HoopScoop, sixth by rivals.com and the seventh by scout.com.^[3] Additionally, he was the Gatorade Oklahoma Player of the Year and was selected to the McDonald's All-American and Jordan Brand All-America teams.^[30][31] At the McDonald's All-American game in Louisville, Kentucky he won the Powerade Jam Fest slam dunk contest.^[32]