National Basketball Association

Former NBA star Shawn Kemp released without charges in shooting incident

Updated Mar. 9, 2023 4:15 p.m. ET

No charges are immediately being filed against former NBA star Shawn Kemp following his arrest in a drive-by shooting in Tacoma, Washington, prosecutors said Thursday.

Kemp, 53, was booked for investigation of felony drive-by shooting shortly before 6 p.m. Wednesday, online jail records show. No one was injured in the shooting Wednesday afternoon.

Adam Faber, a spokesman for the Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office, said in an emailed statement Thursday afternoon that no charges were immediately being filed against Kemp, and the 53-year-old was being released from jail pending further investigation.

Kemp, who owns two licensed cannabis stores in Seattle, was a six-time NBA All-Star and played for the Seattle SuperSonics from 1989 to 1997. He also played for Cleveland, Portland and Orlando.

Kemp debuted in the NBA during the 1989-90 season as a 20-year-old who had never played college basketball. He became known for his high-flying, athletic dunks.

Tacoma police said they arrested a 53-year-old man after a shooting in a parking lot near the Tacoma Mall on Wednesday, but a spokeswoman Thursday did not confirm whether that was Kemp. The shooting followed an altercation between people in two vehicles; one car fled, and a gun was recovered, police said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.