When you think of the Seattle SuperSonics , the first name that'll probably come to mind is Shawn Kemp . With insane athleticism, the "Reign Man" could dunk over anyone or anything, including the NBA anti-drug policy.
Beating the drug tests
Drafted in 1989, Kemp entered the league when players were getting used to the anti-drug policy. Initially starting in 1983, the death of Boston Celtics' No. 2 draftee, Len Bias , three years later, made the situation more serious; Bias died of a cocaine overdose.
This prompted a mandatory test to be done on players. In 1999, it was improved, and players who smoked weed were also tested, usually during training camps. Shawn, who was one of those players who consumed marijuana, said that he had his means of avoiding a bad test result.
"You only had to pass the test once a year," said the former NBA star. "You take one test, and you was good. Before that, there was no test. That didn't pop off until '99; that's when that started. Before then, they didn't even test for weed. It was after that lockout."
After the shortened 1998-99 lockout season, the league had to implement a new structure, which included the intake of illicit substances by its athletes. Many players found it difficult to adjust to this new system. Some have been permanently banned, like former Dallas Mavericks player Roy Tarpley, while others have received several game suspensions for violating this rule, like Tristian Thompson, a recent offender.
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Managing the situation
NBA players often subject themselves to taking weed or other substances to cope with the mental and physical stress of being a professional athlete, and Kemp was one of those. Players who didn't want to engage in pills or other drugs like cocaine often smoke weed.
However, there are other ways of tackling stress, and the league has shunned the usage of illicit substances, with punishments being issued to offenders, including Kemp.
In 2005, just two years after his retirement, the six-time All-Star was charged with drug possession, and it happened again a year later after being caught with marijuana. The league eventually stopped random testing for marijuana in 2021, as it was removed from its prohibited substances.
This was a rule that Kemp would've loved being implemented during the later stages of his career. The legendary Sonic was one of the former NBA players who took to the cannabis industry after retirement, opening a dispensary in Seattle named 'Shawn Kemp's Cannabis.'
Related: "Gary and I would spend all of our time messing around at bars" - Shawn Kemp on his early years with Gary Payton in Seattle
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