The day before the All-Star Game, Giants’ manager and 2011 NL All-Star Manager, Bruce Bochy, announced his decision to bat Kemp third in the line up. Explaining his decision, Bochy said about Kemp, “He’s a guy with speed, power, a guy that can beat you with a base hit or a long ball. He’s what you call a complete player – tremendous defender, but more so in the 3-hole, he can do so many things for you. He’s so dangerous.” Kemp, with a single and a walk, became the first Dodger to reach base twice in an All-Star Game since Mike Piazza in 1996.

Kemp hit his 30th home run of the season on August 26, and in the process became the second Dodger player of all time to hit at least 30 homers and steal at least 30 bases in the same season (30–30 club). The only other one was Raúl Mondesí in the 1997 and 1999 seasons. He picked up his 40th stolen base on September 17, becoming the 18th Major Leaguer and first Dodger in history to hit at least 30 homers and steal at least 40 bases. Kemp also scored his 100th run of the season, making him just the 10th L.A. Dodger to score 100 runs and have 100 RBIs in a season, and the first since Jeff Kent in 2005. He hit his 35th home run on September 21, making him the 14th Major Leaguer (and first since Alfonso Soriano in 2006) to hit at least 35 home runs and steal at least 35 bases in a season.

Kemp started the 2012 season by winning the National League Player of the Week award for the opening weekend. He hit two home runs and drove in eight RBIs during the opening series against the San Diego Padres. He was also the first Dodger to record three consecutive multi-hit games to start the season since Adrián Beltré did it in the 2000 season. This was the third time he had won the award, and second consecutive as he had won it the final week of 2011 as well. On April 10, Kemp became the first LA Dodger to have an RBI in the first five games of the season since J. D. Drew in the 2006 season and, counting the end of the previous season, he had nine straight games with an RBI, tying Roy Campanella (1955 season) and Augie Galan (1944 season) for the Dodgers franchise record. Kemp also won the Player of the Week award for the second week of the season, which, combined with winning the award in the last week of 2011, made him the only player to ever win three consecutive awards. He was also only the second player to win the award twice to begin the season, the other being Tony Armas for the 1981 Athletics. Kemp hit 12–22 with 4 HRs and a 1.182 slugging percentage, leading the club to its best 10-game start since 1981.

Kemp hit his 10th home run of the season on April 25, tying Gary Sheffield’s club record for homers in April set in the 2000 season. He broke Sheffield’s record with a walk-off homer against the Washington Nationals on April 28. Kemp was also named National League player of the month for April.

Kemp hit home runs in five straight games to end the season, the first major league player to accomplish that feat and the first Dodger since Shawn Green in the 2001 season to hit homers in five consecutive games. The only other Dodgers to homer in five consecutive games are Roy Campanella (1950), Adrián González (2014–15), and Joc Pederson (2015).

Kemp, along with Williams and three other teammates, were accused of raping a 19-year-old woman at the time of a high school all-star basketball tournament on January 20, 2002, at the Columbus, Ohio Hyatt hotel. The players were suspended from the team during the investigation. However, the woman did not press charges, and the district attorney opted to not pursue the matter due to a lack of evidence.

Kemp was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 6th round of the 2003 MLB draft, and signed with the team on June 5, 2003, for a $130,000 signing bonus.

Kemp started his professional career for the Gulf Coast Dodgers in 2003 and followed that up with stints with the Columbus Catfish in 2004 and the Vero Beach Dodgers in 2004–05. At Columbus and Vero Beach, Kemp improved his power numbers. After hitting just a single home run in 43 games, Kemp became more of a power hitter. In 2004 with Columbus, he belted 18 home runs to go along with 27 doubles in 122 games, and in 2005, he belted 27 home runs to go along with 21 doubles in 109 games. He was selected to the Florida State League All-Star team in 2005, and set Vero Beach franchise records for home runs (27) and slugging percentage (.569).

Kemp began 2006 with the AA Jacksonville Suns, where he hit .327 with seven homers, 34 runs batted in (RBIs) and 11 steals, prompting a promotion to the major league squad. His promotion was spurred by an effort to provide regular rest for center fielder Kenny Lofton and the often injured right field All-Star J. D. Drew.

Kemp made his major league debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 28, 2006, against the Washington Nationals. He got his first career major league hit that same game, a single off of Jon Rauch. He hit his first Major League homer on June 1 in his second Dodger Stadium at-bat off the Philadelphia Phillies’ Gavin Floyd. He homered in three straight games from June 1–3 against the Phillies and homered twice on June 11 off Colorado Rockies starter Aaron Cook. He also became the first Dodger and fifth major league player to hit four homers in his first 10 days with the team.

Kemp’s nickname is “The Bison.” During the second major league game of Kemp’s career, on May 29, 2006, he stole second base in the fourth inning, after which Atlanta Braves television announcer Don Sutton said he looked “like a big buffalo running around the bases.” The observation was appropriate due to Kemp’s imposing size – the Dodgers’ roster listed him at 6′ 4″ tall and 225 pounds – and surprisingly fast foot-speed. The word “buffalo” was modified to “bison”, by the commenter D4P on Jon Weisman’s Dodgers blog, Dodger Thoughts, as it is a more proper term for the North American mammal to which the moniker refers. It wasn’t until the next day when the starting lineup did not include Kemp that baseball writer Eric Enders, also commenting in Dodger Thoughts added the capitalized article in front of the animal, completing the nickname, writing “So much for looking forward to watching The Bison tonight.”

Kemp became the starting right fielder in 2008. He hit his first career grand slam off of Mark Redman on April 26 against the Colorado Rockies. Kemp drove in the first run of the game for the Dodgers, a sacrifice fly in the first inning that scored Juan Pierre. After driving in 11 runs and stealing 6 bases. He was named “National League Player of the Week” for the week of April 28 – May 4.

After a knee injury to Andruw Jones, Kemp became the Dodgers’ regular center fielder, moving over from right field. His best month of the season was in July, in which he had a .324 batting average, .402 on-base percentage, .537 slugging percentage to go along with five home runs, 14 RBIs, and 10 stolen bases. That month also sparked Kemp’s career high 19-game hitting streak, which lasted from July 9 through August 1, ending with a hitless performance on August 2. However, Kemp got back on track the next night by having a three-hit game to go along with a home run. He finished the season with a .290 average, 18 homers and 76 RBI. He was also second on the team in stolen bases with 35. In addition, he set a Dodgers record with 153 strikeouts in a season. In his first career postseason game, Kemp went 1 for 4 with a double. However, he batted just .154 in the 2008 National League Division Series (NLDS) against the Chicago Cubs. Both of his hits went for doubles. In the 2008 National League Championship Series (NLCS), against the Philadelphia Phillies, Kemp did better, batting .333 as the Dodgers lost the series to the eventual World Series champions.

In 2008, an ex-girlfriend filed a restraining order against Kemp, claiming that she had been abused by him. However, she later dropped the complaint and her representative stated that the restraining order “had nothing to do with domestic violence.” Kemp dated pop singer Rihanna for a time beginning November 2009.

Kemp was the subject of some criticism in 2010 from General Manager Ned Colletti, who called him out publicly early in the season for poor baserunning. Kemp had several embarrassing gaffes on the base paths during the season, and was caught stealing 15 times. With runners in scoring position, he hit seven home runs and drove in 61 runs in 160 at bats. However, he struck out 49 times and batted just .225 in that spot. Against right-handed pitching, he batted just .233 with a .299 on-base percentage, to go along with 22 home runs and 69 RBIs, as opposed to a .295 average against left-handed pitchers.

After being one of the league leaders in home runs, stolen bases, RBIs, and batting average during the first half of the season, Kemp was voted as a starter for the National League squad in the 2011 Major League Baseball All-Star Game in Arizona. He also accepted an invitation to participate in the Home Run Derby at the All-Star Game.

Kemp wound up hitting 39 home runs in 2011 with 126 RBIs, leading the league in both categories, the first Dodger to do so since Dolph Camilli in the 1941 season. He also led the league in runs scored (115), total bases (353), OPS+ (171), and WAR (10.0). He finished second in slugging percentage (.586), OPS (.986), extra base hits (76), and stolen bases (40, tied), and third in batting average (.324) and outfield assists (11). He also led the National League in power-speed number (39.5). Kemp also extended his games played streak to 364 games, as he played in every game of the season. He was the first player to finish in the top two in both home runs and steals since Hank Aaron in the 1963 season.

Kemp recorded his 1,000th career hit on May 12, 2013, against the Miami Marlins.

However, Kemp struggled out of the gate in 2013, subsequent to his shoulder surgery in the offseason. On May 27, Kemp went 0-for-5 with 4 strikeouts, and was booed heavily by the majority of the Dodgers crowd. Teammate Adrián González said that Kemp was “trying too hard for the team and the fans.”

He appeared in only 73 games in 2013, due to his various injuries. He hit .270 with 6 home runs and 33 RBIs, and a .395 slugging percentage.

On December 11, 2014, he was traded to the San Diego Padres along with Tim Federowicz and $32 million in cash for Joe Wieland, Yasmani Grandal, and Zach Eflin. The trade was not finalized until December 18 due to the Padres expressing some concerns over a physical which revealed Kemp had severe arthritis in both hips. The Padres attempted to renegotiate the deal after the physical but the Dodgers refused, and the deal was consummated as originally conceived.

Kemp played his first game with the Padres during opening day on April 6, 2015, against his old team, the Dodgers. During that game, Kemp drove in the only 3 runs for the Padres, as the team lost to the Dodgers 6-3.

On August 14, 2015, on the road against the Colorado Rockies, Kemp became the first player in the Padres’ 7,444-game history to hit for the cycle. In the first inning, he hit a 2-run home run to center, followed by a single and a double. He finished with a triple to center field in the top of the 9th inning, scoring Yangervis Solarte from first. He finished the night 4-for-5. In the 2015 season, he led NL outfielders in errors, with eight.

On July 30, 2016, the Padres traded Kemp with cash considerations to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for Héctor Olivera. The Braves moved Kemp to left field, a position he had started playing with the Dodgers in 2014. On September 16, in a game against the Washington Nationals, Kemp hit a double for the 1,500th hit of his career.

On April 11, 2017, Kemp was placed on the 10-day disabled list due to left hamstring tightness. On April 29, Kemp became the first Brave to have a three home run game since Mark Teixeira in 2008.

For the 2017 season, he batted .276/.318/.463, while leading the NL in double plays grounded into (with 25), and hitting 19 home runs but, for the first time in his major league career, not stealing any bases.

On December 16, 2017, the Braves traded Kemp to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Adrián González, Scott Kazmir, Brandon McCarthy, Charlie Culberson and cash considerations.

On December 21, 2018, the Dodgers traded Kemp to the Cincinnati Reds, along with Yasiel Puig, Alex Wood, Kyle Farmer, and cash considerations in exchange for Homer Bailey, Jeter Downs, and Josiah Gray.

On May 4, 2019, Kemp was released by the Reds. Kemp, in 60 at bats, had only 12 hits, 1 walk, and 5 RBIs, batting .200/.210/.283. In 2019, he had the slowest sprint speed of all major league left fielders, at 25.4 feet/second.

On May 24, 2019, Kemp was signed by the New York Mets to a minor league deal. He was placed on the 7-day Injured List on June 12, retroactive to June 8. He was released on July 12.

On December 18th, 2019, Kemp signed a minor league deal with the Miami Marlins. He was released on June 30.

On June 30, 2020, Kemp signed a minor league deal with the Colorado Rockies. On July 17, 2020, it was announced that Kemp would have his contract selected to the 40-man roster by the Rockies in advance of Opening Day. His contract was selected the following day.