NBA's 72 "Greatest" Moments: Queen Latifah Locks Down Shawn Kemp
This qualifies as one of the 72 “Greatest” Moments in NBA History
Well, we’ve arrived at one of the highlights of my childhood!
When the NBA season and school year were both over, the dog days of June and July were filled with many lazy summer days watching way too much MTV. Fortunately in the early 1990s, MTV had hit a sweet spot of showing music videos along with music-adjacent programming. That balance would slowly, but inexorably, be thrown out of order to the point that MTV hasn’t done much of any music programming in nearly two decades.
But in this golden era, MTV stumbled upon the bright idea of having jocks and rock stars play basketball and other sports against one another.
This delightful absurdity set the stage for the NBA’s current celebrity game during All-Star Weekend that pales in comparison to the entertainment value of Rock n’ Jock competition.
Not only did some of the NBA’s best show up for these contests, but the games had truly stupid/fantastic ideas like 50-point shots. Of course you had to make the shot on a hoop that was like 50 feet above the ground. High-risk, high-reward!
And who could forget classic team names like the Bricklayers? Or a teenaged Leonardo di Caprio playing hoops? Or Flea? Or Kevin Willis? Or any number of other relics of the 1990s in all their glory?!
But I’m not here to regale y’all with every Rock n’ Jock moment. I’m here for one moment in particular.
That time rapper Queen Latifah clamped down on Shawn Kemp in the 1994 classic.
This was clearly the highest point yet in Latifah’s career; and simultaneously the lowest point yet of Kemp’s career. Latifah would climb higher and Kemp lower, but that’ll be another post in the future… maybe…
The Queen had already released three rap albums by 1994. Her most recent LP at the time, 1993’s Black Reign, was her best seller yet with gold certification on the strength of the fantastic and classic “U.N.I.T.Y.”
Furthermore, Latifah’s acting career had taken off to new heights. The influential comedy show Living Single debuted in the fall of 1993 and finished up its first season in the spring of ‘94 with good reviews and good ratings, especially for a Fox network show. Hit TV show, hit album, hit single. Top of the world for one of Newark’s finest.
Wish we could say the same for Shawn Kemp.
The Reign Man burst into the NBA in 1989, coincidentally the same year that Latifah had released her first album. Kemp’s arrival was the first pang of the prep-to-pro draftees that would really leave their mark on the NBA starting in the mid-1990s. Kemp had never played a minute of NCAA basketball, yet was still taken 17th overall by the Seattle SuperSonics (RIP).
By 1994 Kemp had risen to All-Star and All-NBA status leading the Sonics to within a game of the NBA Finals in 1993. In that Western Conference Finals featuring Gary Payton, Charles Barkley, and Kevin Johnson, Kemp might well have been the best player of them all. The 23-year-old averaged 20.6 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 3.4 BPG, .588 FG%, and .815 FT%.
Okay, Barkley was a bit better, but he was the league’s MVP and 30 years old. Kemp gave him a good run for his money.
During the 1994 season, the Sonics were even better and the favorites to win the West compiling an NBA-best 63 wins. However, the Sonics infamously collapsed in the first round against the lowly 42-win Denver Nuggets. The loss was truly remarkable because Seattle rightly smoked Denver by 24-points in Game 1 and then by a comfortable 10 points in Game 2.
Nonetheless, with all key players still healthy and on the court, Denver blasted Seattle in Game 3 (110-93) and then got ‘em again in Game 4 (94-85). Thus came the do-or-die Game 5 where Denver mercilessly controlled the glass. The Nuggets outrebounded Seattle 58 to 36 in the game on their way to a stunning, 98-94 win.
Kemp played well enough in Game 5 with 19 points and 12 boards. But for the series he averaged a 14.8 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 3.4 APG, 2.0 SPG, and 2.4 BPG.
“Well, Mr. ProHoopsHistory, that doesn’t seem too bad. Sure it’s not a lot of points, but Kemp did a lot else.” That might be your smart retort, but you didn’t let me finish.
*AHEM*
Kemp averaged those numbers on .371 FG% and .667 FT%! What now, smarty pants?!
Considering his stature at the moment and the stakes, it was easily the worst playoff series of Kemp’s career as Seattle became the first #1 seed toppled by a #8 seed in NBA history.
Then that summer the Queen came up there and ripped Kemp’s heart out for a breakaway lay up at the Rock n’ Jock game.
Truly a low point for one of the NBA’s greatest.
Let’s not remember Kemp for that terrible no-good summer of ‘94. Let’s remember the good times, instead.