By admin 
Shawn Kemp was one of the faces of Reebok during the 90s, with his Kamikaze shoe among the most iconic silhouettes the brand has ever produced. However, while Kemp rose to become one of Reebok’s premier athletes, he was not originally theirs.
Like most of the best players to ever play the game, Kemp was a Swoosh guy. But Nike couldn’t pay him what he deserved because Michael Jordan had a clause in his shoe deal that prevented the company from paying anyone more than him. Reebok took advantage of the situation and snatched the Reign Man away from Nike.
“I actually made it to the NBA partly because of Nike. I met a guy when I was a kid. His name was Sonny Vaccaro. I met Sonny when I was 12 years old. Sonny is also the guy who created the Air Jordan shoe. I wore Nike coming to the NBA. Of course, once I got to a higher level, Michael Jordan had something in his contract that said I couldn’t make more money than he could,” he explained.
Nike could not pay anyone higher than MJ
Kemp starred for Concord High School in Indiana before turning pro in 1989, when the Seattle SuperSonics picked him 17th overall in the Draft. After a slow start to his career, he rose to superstardom alongside Gary Payton, ushering in the “Sonic Boom” era.
However, even after he became a big star in the NBA, Nike couldn’t give Kemp the raise he deserved because it would violate a provision in Jordan’s contract. And so in October 1992, Kemp jumped ship and signed a massive shoe deal with Reebok to become one of its faces in the NBA.
“Reebok was the first shoe company to come to me, the dunk contest. They said that they had a job opening of about $36 million to the best person in the NBA who they thought could win this job. I lost the Dunk Contest, and I was a little disappointed. The guy from Reebok came in, and he told me, he goes, ‘You lost the contest, but you won the contract. Welcome to Reebok.’”
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Kemp and Reebok sued each other before reuniting after he retired
Interestingly, Kemp and Reebok sued each other in court back in 2000, when the company terminated Kemp’s shoe deal after it claimed he had violated the contract by making “disparaging” remarks about the brand.
The accusation stemmed from Kemp’s interview with the Akron Beacon Journal, in which he said his all-time favorite sneaker was the Nike Air Force. Despite still owing Kemp $4 million over the next two years, Reebok ended its partnership with the NBA star, and he sued them in court.
“I signed a contract, but not to lie for them,” argued Kemp. “Telling the truth is not disparaging.”
Reebok countered with a suit alleging Kemp had already advanced $1 million in royalties. Shawn dropped the case and settled with the shoe company on the advances. He finished his career wearing Nike, but after his retirement, Kemp and Reebok got back together.
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This story was originally published September 13, 2026 at 7:58 AM.