Associated Press
May 27, 2025, 07:37 PM ET
TACOMA, Wash. — Former NBA star Shawn Kemp pleaded guilty to an assault charge Tuesday for shooting at two men inside a vehicle in a Washington state mall parking lot.
Kemp, 55, pleaded guilty to second-degree assault in Pierce County Superior Court as part of a plea agreement, according to the county Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. The Toyota 4Runner the men were inside and another vehicle were damaged in the March 2023 shooting, but the men were not hurt.
Kemp was initially charged with one count of first-degree assault with a firearm enhancement, but prosecutors last week added another count of assault as well as a drive-by shooting charge, The Seattle Times reported. Convictions on those charges could have resulted in a lengthy prison term.
He will be sentenced in August. Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Thomas Howe recommended that Kemp be sentenced to nine months in jail, one year of Department of Corrections supervision and support after he is released, and to pay restitution.
Kemp, a six-time NBA All-Star who played for the Seattle SuperSonics from 1989 to 1997, declined to comment to the newspaper Tuesday.
“Shawn is committed to moving forward in a positive direction,” Kemp’s attorney, Tim Leary, told