When you're six-ten and possessed of mad skills and incredible strength, you quietly pass over the college game to make noise in the NBA. Shawn Kemp was just born to play pro ball. Signed by the Seattle SuperSonics in the first round (17th pick overall) of the 1989 NBA Draft right out of high school, it was clear that this player would be doing some schooling.
The "Reign Man," as he was dubbed, played the sport so furiously that many thought he would replace Michael Jordan as the NBA poster child. He was a top ball player by age 21 and an All-Star player by 26 (with five consecutive all-star years between 1993-97). He was at least as fun to watch as Jordan, with huge airs that seemed almost superhuman. In fact, he was the runner-up slam-dunk competitor during the 1991 NBA All-Star Weekend. While Kemp was one of the hottest players in the NBA he was also one of the youngest. He matured with the Sonics for eight years before being traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1997. Having settled into the sport as a seasoned veteran, Kemp could relax and enjoy the fruits of his labor. With a thick wad of cash, he was able to afford the best of things, like first class, bumpin' systems. Kemp always expects his vehicles to be equipped and proper. Whether it's a Ferarri 360 pegging through the timber-lined roadways in Oregon or a Hummer dredging through the rain forest, Kemp's vehicle will always be right for the situation. More often than not, Kemp finds himself in a big-city-rollin' situation where a leather-clad super SUV is in order. That's a fully equipped super SUV, of course.
Rollin' in comfort is easy with the current trend of earth-moving SUVs on the market. Take your pick: there's the Chevy DuraMax with a 6.6L diesel engine, the Dodge Ram with the tried-n-true Cummins or a wide range of offerings from Ford. Partial to Fords for their plush interiors and tighter fit-n-finish (and not to mention the available V10 gas engine), the Reign Man choose a 2001 "black-n-tan" Ford Excursion "fourbuhfour." The Excursion commands respect, equal to the respect its pilot receives on the court. Lane changes are simple for an over-sized rig with Shawn Kemp at the wheel. "Movin' over!"
With the exception of the highly customized interior - packed with multimedia and audio gear from Alpine, Phoenix Gold and Audiovox - the truck is mostly stock. The only addition was a set of 23-inch Boyd Coddington wheels, which was added to set it apart. Only 23-inch Coddingtons, yeah right.
When Kemp makes a move people take notice, even in an off-the-court situation. Installer Jason Kranitz took notice, and listened intently as Kemp told him what he expected out of this installation. Unlike more frugal folks out there, Kemp didn't buy this Excursion to haul groceries, he bought it to roll his crew around town in style. An installation was called for that would chill his crew, leaving the rear cargo area available for a system befitting Kemp's grand stature. Kranitz and his home base, Car Toys in Tigard, OR, had their work cut out for them. With a presence in the Pacific Northwest for 15 years, and stores all over the States, Car Toys and Kranitz definitely had the skills to complete the installation before the shot clock ran out. All that was needed was 14 days. Fourteen long days.With their trust placed in Phoenix Gold, also located in Oregon (Portland, to be exact - check out phoenixgold.com for a shop tour), Kranitz and Kemp were set for everything but source. Kemp went with Alpine without hesitation upon Kranitz's recommendation.
Having gone through plenty of installations before, Kemp knew how hacked an installation could be. At one point previously, he had to replace most of the interior panels before trading in a vehicle. So he laid out a clear policy for Kranitz and all involved: you can have everything behind the rear seat; everything forward is spared the drill. Kemp knew the rear panels would need to be replaced upon resale and was willing to do so. But when it came to replacing door panels and headliners, he wasn't having it.
In a situation like this one would expect the installer to take advantage of his granted freedom. Kranitz didn't see it that way. Portland is a relatively small town, and with so many local parties going on Kranitz saw an opportunity to represent.
And represent he did. A grandiose display of gear was laid out in the rear cargo area. Unwilling to mold onto the door panels, Kranitz, with the inspiration of a case of Pepsi, decided to color outside of the lines, so to speak. The free-floating enclosure and amp-rack were fabricated out of 3/4-inch MDF, fiberglass and a whole bunch of Fishy products. Coming up with the shape wasn't easy. The pod had to be mocked-up with wood and finished with Fishman Fabric and fiberglass to reach eggy proportions. In the end Kranitz was able to complement a pair of Phoenix Gold Titanium 12's with 1.25-cubic-feet each. Perfect. Aluminum arms were fabricated to suspend the pod and amp-rack. Aluminum woofer rings were also thrown in the mix, which Kranitz routered out by hand.
Big, big power was in order. After all, Kranitz was given almost 50 cubic feet to work with, sparing no room for pesky golf clubs. With perhaps more experience in power distribution than anyone else in the business, Phoenix Gold knows what it takes to build powerful amplifiers. Its Titanium 800.1 monoblock is a good example. Capable of firing up 1000 watts at 2 ohms, the 800.1 is a true brute. But one wasn't enough for Kemp. With two Phoenix Gold Titanium series 12" woofers kickin' out the licks, why not one monoblock per woofer?
Kranitz must have been thinking outside the box when he got the idea to build a spare tire into the installation. This dummy spare houses a PG DD10 power distribution/fuse center and two PG ASC10 1-farad stiffening capacitors. It had to be built out of MDF rings and Wiggle Wood and then finished with fiberglass and Fishman Fabric. The best thing is the bonus of the rear cargo area. Not only does it represent well, it is completely removable and no panels will need to be replaced when the vehicle is traded in. Of course Kemp is pretty fired up about it, so who's to say if he will trade it in at all?
To maintain a clean passenger compartment, all of the stock locations were used when available. Outside of that, new pieces were built around the original interior without having to modify them. The front kick panels were hand made out of MDF and fiberglass and contain Phoenix Gold Elite 5" mid-range drivers. Phoenix Gold 6" mid-bass speakers had no trouble fitting into the original door locations. Kranitz modified the A-pillars to accept PG Elite 28mm tweeters, creating a high-n-tight front stage. All original rear locations were retained and kept simple with upgraded Phoenix Gold Elite Ti5 Comp separates.
Taking advantage of the factory radio location is an Alpine IVA-C800. This slick unit is DIN-sized, yet sports a fully motorized, 6.5-inch screen. As a top-of-the line unit, the IVA-C800 is a part of Alpine's AI-Net multimedia system. Kemp has full control over the system source, including navigation, DVD, CD and tuner through this single unit. In addition to the dash-mounted IVA-C800, a CVA-5205 shares the location, massaged in with a modified Ford Ranger kit.
Below the dash, the center console was modified to accept an Alpine CHA-1214 CD changer. The sacrifice was easy, removing the ashtray and cig lighter to make room for the ergo-located changer. Fishman Fabric was used to finish the console and match the factory interior. While a 12-disc changer may look a bit on the bulky side, the bulk seems to disappear when Kemp steps into the ride, shadowing everything in his presence. Rear passengers are treated to a huge, 13.3-inch Audiovox monitor installed in the headliner where the factory heater controls once were. Heater controls were relocated to the back of the center console, above the newly inserted Audiovox VCR.
Out of sight, under the middle row 60/40-split seats, is an Alpine NVE-N852A navigation unit and a Phoenix Gold Tantrum 600.4 amplifier. Neither of these units needs any hands-on attention so they were kept silently out of the way. Everything was wired-up with Phoenix Gold cable and accessories. Not a bad way to go, considering the company's reputation.
According to Kranitz, Kemp has been known to rapidly turn vehicles around. In fact, he rarely drove this vehicle before he had the installation done. Kemp ended up liking it so much that he ordered some custom body and paint work. Prior to having the paint work done Kranitz removed most of the installation to prevent body shop damage. Once the shop was finished the rig went back in and Kemp was rolling proper. He now cruises the big Excursion on a regular basis. There's probably not too much more that's this comfortable to drive for the Reign Man.
After years of calling Portland home, the Reign Man will be relocating to a more southern climate. His recent deal with the Orlando Magic will take him to Florida, although he vows to keep Portland his home. Will he still be known as the Reign Man? Of course, he attests. Portland gave him a home for most of his career and he plans to retire there. With good folks like Phoenix Gold and Jason Kranitz around to take care of his vehicles, why would he want to live anywhere else?