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From a conversation with Cleveland sportswriting legend Terry Pluto on Cleveland Scene:
What's one G-rated or PG-rated story about an athlete that you've heard but haven't had an opportunity to share?
Shawn Kemp was late for a flight back in his Cleveland days, as he often was. He was beginning to run out of excuses. The one he gave the Cavs this time was, "My dog fell asleep in front of my car and I had to wait until he woke up."
No shit.
Poor Randy Wittman was the coach and he just took it. That's when we knew Randy was in big trouble. He was a rookie coach and Kemp worked him over. It actually said a lot about a bunch of things that were going on with the team at the time. Kemp was losing control of his life and Randy was overwhelmed.
In Kemp's defense, you have to respect a man who was this devoted to his dog.