Shawn Kemp
Claim To Fitness: Went from weighing in the neighborhood of 230 lbs while in Seattle to close to 260 lbs while in Cleveland
Shawn Kemp went from one of the most exciting and spectacularly athletic players in the NBA, to one of the fattest and most depressing. After forcing a trade to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1997 after he could not get the Seattle Supersonics to sign him to an extension of his liking, Kemp’s career turned for the worse as his weight skyrocketed during the NBA’s 1998-1999 lockout.
The Cavaliers, after handing Kemp the extension he sought, even offered to “sweeten” the deal (no pun intended) by hiring a nutritionist and personal chef to help Kemp with his weight gain. However, former members of the organization stated Kemp simply lacked the discipline to get his weight under control. He only played one more season in Cleveland after that.