Matt Kemp

Early life

Kemp was born in Midwest City, Oklahoma, to Carl Kemp and Judy Henderson, who never married. He was raised by his mother, a registered nurse, and his grandmother. When he was 13, his mother gave birth to a son, Tyler, who died at age one after being born prematurely. At Midwest City High School, Kemp excelled in basketball and baseball, playing on a state championship basketball team alongside Shelden Williams. He averaged 20 points per game and received a scholarship offer to play college basketball for the Oklahoma Sooners. In 2002, Kemp and five teammates were accused of raping a 19-year-old woman during a high school all-star basketball tournament; the woman did not press charges, and the district attorney declined to pursue the matter due to lack of evidence.

Professional career

The Los Angeles Dodgers selected Kemp in the sixth round of the 2003 MLB draft, and he signed for a $130,000 signing bonus. He began his professional career with the Gulf Coast Dodgers in 2003, then played for the Columbus Catfish in 2004 and the Vero Beach Dodgers from 2004 to 2005. At Columbus, he hit 18 home runs and 27 doubles in 122 games; in 2005, he hit 27 home runs and 21 doubles in 109 games, setting Vero Beach franchise records for home runs and slugging percentage (.569).

He was named to the Florida State League All-Star team in 2005. After starting 2006 with the AA Jacksonville Suns, where he batted .327 with seven home runs, 34 RBIs, and 11 steals, he was promoted to the major league squad to help rest center fielder Kenny Lofton and right fielder J. D. Drew. Kemp made his MLB debut on May 28, 2006, against the Washington Nationals, recording his first hit, a single off Jon Rauch. He hit his first home run on June 1 off Gavin Floyd and homered in three straight games from June 1–3, then homered twice on June 11 off Aaron Cook.

He became the first Dodger and fifth major league player to hit four home runs in his first 10 days. After a slump, he was reassigned to the AAA Las Vegas 51s in July, then returned in September. He finished the season with seven home runs, six stolen bases, a .253 batting average, and a .289 on-base percentage.

Nickname

Kemp's nickname is "The Bison." During his second major league game on May 29, 2006, Atlanta Braves announcer Don Sutton remarked that Kemp looked "like a big buffalo running around the bases," referencing his 6'4", 225-pound frame and speed. The term was modified to "bison" by a commenter on the blog Dodger Thoughts, and the capitalized article was added the next day by baseball writer Eric Enders, completing the nickname. The bison is also the official state animal of Oklahoma, where Kemp was raised.

Personal life

In 2008, an ex-girlfriend filed a restraining order against Kemp alleging abuse, but she later dropped the complaint, and her representative stated it was not related to domestic violence. Kemp dated pop singer Rihanna beginning in November 2009. He purchased a home in Poway, California in 2013 and sold it in 2020 for $4.3 million; he currently lives in Dallas. Kemp created a community initiative called Kemp's Kids, which hosted children from the Los Angeles area at Dodger Stadium, including some from the Challenger Boys & Girls Club.