Shawn Kemp’s Weighty Return: A Surprise at the Cavaliers Camp

Shawn Kemp had convinced himself that he would be taking the season off. In the aftermath of the NBA lockout in 1999, Kemp surprised everyone by showing up to the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 1999 training camp 35 pounds overweight. The reason behind this unexpected weight gain was rooted in Kemp’s disbelief that the team would be coming back for the season.

Former Cavs head coach Mike Fratello shared insights into this peculiar situation in a 2020 interview with Cleveland.com. Recalling the conversation, Fratello said, “He was really very honest about it. I said, ‘Shawn, how did this happen?’ He said, ‘Coach, I didn’t think we were coming back.'”

The NBA was undergoing a unique period during that time, marked by a lockout where league Commissioner David Stern had threatened to cancel the season. The standoff between players and the league office continued until a last-minute resolution on January 6th, just a day before Stern’s cutoff date of January 7th.

Shawn Kemp, who had previously enjoyed success with the Seattle Supersonics and joined the Cavaliers in 1997 on a lucrative seven-year, $107 million deal, found himself in a race against time to shed the excess weight. Just two weeks before the season tipped off, Kemp was 35 pounds overweight, prompting the organization to take swift action. They assigned a private chef and nutritionist to assist him in the weight loss journey.

Despite their efforts, Kemp proved uncooperative, refusing to adhere to a meal plan and displaying a lack of discipline. He ended up consuming a significant portion of the team’s cap space. Despite managing to put up decent statistics that season, with averages of 20.5 points and 9.2 rebounds per game, the athletic prowess that once defined Kemp began to fade. This season turned out to be a turning point, signaling the beginning of the end of his illustrious career.