Open Thread: Spurs By The Numbers- the 10 games Tim Kempton suited up as #8

Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images

38 days is sometimes all it takes.

When I joined Pounding The Rock, I pitched a project that would cover every player who ever wore a Spurs jersey. Not equally, by any means, but each jersey would be identified numerically by the players who wore it.

There is a significance to the numbers of jerseys as it pertains to the five NBA Championships that have been won by the San Antonio Spurs.

There is only one jersey number associated with all five San Antonio Spurs NBA Championships- #21. Tim Duncan. He is coincidentally also the only player to be involved in all five titles.

There are five numbers associated with four Spurs titles. #9 (Tony Parker) and #20 Manu Ginobili, as well as #2 (Jaren Jackson-1999, Nazr Mohammed- 2005, Melvin Ely- 2007, and Kawhi Leonard– 2014), #4 (Steve Kerr- 1999, Sean Marks– 2005, Michael Finley– 2007, and Danny Green– 2014), and #11 (Brandon Williams- 1999, Mike Wilks– 2005, Jacque Vaughn– 2007, Jeff Ayers- 2014).

The next set of jersey numbers are those associated with three of the Spurs NBA titles.

Those numbers are 3, 5, 8, 12, 17, and 33. Today we look at #8.

#8

Tim Kempton’s tenure was a short one.

“The thing I remember was David Robinson being hurt. That was one of the reasons why I was here in San Antonio. They started building what the Spurs are now. The day I was released we happened to be in Phoenix at that time. The Spurs were playing the Suns that night.”

Spurs signed him on October 30, 1996. He played in ten games between November 1- December 8. On December 10, he was placed on waivers. Two days later he entered free agency. Soon after he left to play in Turkey.

During a career spanning fourteen years, Tim Kempton played with eight NBA teams and nine overseas teams. He never played more than one consecutive season with a ball club and after his third year, he played 30 or less games each season. Kempton moved around a lot, but he found a home in Phoenix as a color commentator for the Suns radio broadcasts.

During the Spurs 40th season, NBA.com interview players from the Spurs past and captured Kempton’s thoughts about his time in San Antonio as well as the return trips as a member of opposing teams.

You can read the full One-On-One With Tim Kempton interview here.

Next Up: A Great mate plays in 8.

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Open Thread: Spurs By The Numbers- the 10 games Tim Kempton suited up as #8
Open Thread: Spurs By The Numbers- the 10 games Tim Kempton suited up as #8