Seattle SuperSonics legend Shawn Kemp has been charged with first-degree assault from an alleged drive-by shooting in March.
Kemp allegedly shot a gun in a Tacoma mall parking lot after a confrontation between occupants of two cars. No one was injured.
He was released from a Washington jail the next day.
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Kemp says he had property stolen from his car and was acting in self-defense, a source close to the former NBA star said. Kemp tracked his missing iPhone to the Tacoma Mall, and when he approached a vehicle, a suspect shot at him, and he fired back in self-defense, he says.
Kemp will plead not guilty, his lawyer, Scott Boatman, told ESPN.
Kemp, 53, spent eight seasons in Seattle, a franchise that moved to Oklahoma and became the Oklahoma City Thunder.
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Seattle played the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls in the 1996 NBA Finals and lost in six games.
Kemp retired after spending the 2002-03 season with the Orlando Magic.
He averaged 14.6 points and 8.4 rebounds per game in his career after being the 17th overall pick in the 1989 NBA Draft.
After basketball, he pivoted to business ownership. He opened two marijuana dispensaries in the Seattle area after the state legalized the sale of recreational weed.
Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.
