Kentavious Caldwell-Pope facts for kids
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Caldwell-Pope with the Washington Wizards in 2022
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| No. 3 – Memphis Grizzlies | |
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| Shooting guard | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | February 18, 1993 Thomaston, Georgia, U.S. |
| High school | Greenville (Greenville, Georgia) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Listed weight | 204 lb (93 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Georgia (2011–2013) |
| NBA Draft | 2013 / Round: 1 / Pick: 8th overall |
| Selected by the Detroit Pistons | |
| Pro career | 2013–present |
| League | NBA |
| Career history | |
| 2013–2017 | Detroit Pistons |
| 2017–2021 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 2021–2022 | Washington Wizards |
| 2022–2024 | Denver Nuggets |
| 2024–2025 | Orlando Magic |
| 2025–present | Memphis Grizzlies |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (born February 18, 1993), also known as KCP, is an American professional basketball player. He plays for the Memphis Grizzlies in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
KCP was a top high school basketball player. He was even named a McDonald's All-American in 2011. He played college basketball for two years at the University of Georgia. In 2013, he was named the Southeastern Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year.
The Detroit Pistons picked KCP eighth overall in the 2013 NBA draft. He played four seasons with the Pistons. Then, he joined the Los Angeles Lakers in 2017. He won his first NBA championship with the Lakers in 2020. After that, he played for the Washington Wizards in 2021. In 2022, he was traded to the Denver Nuggets. He won his second NBA championship with the Nuggets in 2023. He also played for the Orlando Magic.
Contents
High School Basketball Star
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was a very talented player in high school. He played for Greenville High School in Greenville, Georgia. In his senior year, he scored an amazing 31 points and grabbed 8.2 rebounds per game.
He helped his team reach the State Class A Final Four in 2011. They also made it to the Sweet 16 in 2009 and 2010. KCP was chosen for several important high school All-America teams. This included playing in the McDonald's All-American Game and the Jordan Brand Classic.
Experts rated him as the third-best shooting guard prospect in the nation. He was also ranked the 12th best player overall in his class. KCP chose to play for the University of Georgia. He had many other offers from big schools like Alabama and Florida State.
College Career Highlights
As a freshman at Georgia, Caldwell-Pope was named to the Freshman All-SEC Team. This team included other future NBA stars like Anthony Davis. He scored 25 points in one game against Ole Miss. This was the most points by a Georgia freshman in nearly 13 years.
In his second year, KCP was named the Southeastern Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year. He averaged 18.5 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. In his last college game, he scored a career-high 32 points. He also grabbed 13 rebounds. After this season, he decided to enter the NBA draft.
Professional Basketball Journey
Detroit Pistons (2013–2017)
On June 27, 2013, the Detroit Pistons picked Caldwell-Pope. He was the eighth player chosen in the 2013 NBA draft. He joined the Pistons for the NBA Summer League. On April 16, 2014, he scored a career-high 30 points.
In 2014, KCP played well in the NBA Summer League. He averaged 24 points and 7.4 rebounds. His coach, Stan Van Gundy, saw him as the team's best defender. KCP played the most minutes for the Pistons that season. He improved a lot after the All-Star break. He averaged 14.3 points per game in the second half of the season. He also made 153 three-pointers, which was 70 more than any other Pistons player.
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On December 16, 2015, KCP scored a career-high 31 points. This helped the Pistons win against the Boston Celtics. The Pistons made the playoffs in 2016 for the first time since 2009. They played against the Cleveland Cavaliers. KCP scored 21 points in Game 1, but the Pistons lost the series.
In November 2016, KCP scored 27 points against the Phoenix Suns. On November 25, 2016, he had 16 points and a career-high 10 assists. On January 8, 2017, he made a game-winning three-pointer in double overtime. He finished that game with 26 points. On February 1, 2017, he scored a new career-high of 38 points. He also made eight three-pointers in that game. On February 23, 2017, KCP scored 33 points. He made three three-pointers late in the game to help the Pistons win in overtime.
In June 2017, KCP faced a suspension from the NBA for a rule violation. In July 2017, the Pistons decided not to keep him. He became a free agent.
Los Angeles Lakers (2017–2021)
On July 13, 2017, Caldwell-Pope signed a one-year contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. He scored 20 points in his first game for the Lakers. On November 27, 2017, he scored a season-high 29 points. In December 2017, he had some legal issues that limited his travel for a period. This meant he could only play in home games within California during that time. On February 24, 2018, he scored a season-high 34 points. He also made eight three-pointers in that game.
On July 6, 2018, KCP signed another one-year contract with the Lakers. On December 16, 2018, he scored 25 points against the Washington Wizards. On December 30, he set a new season high with 26 points. On March 19, he had a season-high 35 points.
In 2019, Caldwell-Pope signed a two-year contract with the Lakers again. In the 2019–20 season, he made a career-high 38.5% of his three-pointers. He was third on the team in made three-pointers. KCP won his first NBA championship when the Lakers beat the Miami Heat in the 2020 NBA Finals. He was very important in the victory. In Game 4, his five quick points helped the Lakers win. He started all 21 playoff games. He averaged 10.7 points and made 37.8% of his three-pointers.
KCP decided not to take the second year of his contract. He became a free agent. On November 23, 2020, he re-signed with the Lakers for three years.
Washington Wizards (2021–2022)
On August 6, 2021, Caldwell-Pope was traded to the Washington Wizards. This was part of a trade for Russell Westbrook. In 77 games with the Wizards, he averaged 13.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game.
Denver Nuggets (2022–2024)
On July 6, 2022, KCP was traded to the Denver Nuggets. He was traded along with Ish Smith for Monté Morris and Will Barton. On July 16, KCP signed a two-year contract extension with the Nuggets. He played his first game for the Nuggets on October 19.
In Game 5 of the 2023 NBA Finals, KCP scored 11 points. He also grabbed the final rebound of the game. This helped the Nuggets win their first NBA championship in history. This win gave Caldwell-Pope his second championship ring.
Orlando Magic (2024–2025)
On July 6, 2024, Caldwell-Pope signed with the Orlando Magic.
Memphis Grizzlies (2025–Present)
On June 15, 2025, Caldwell-Pope was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies. He was traded with Cole Anthony and several draft picks. This trade was for Desmond Bane.
Career Statistics
NBA Regular Season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013–14 | Detroit | 80 | 41 | 19.8 | .396 | .319 | .770 | 2.0 | .7 | .9 | .2 | 5.9 |
| 2014–15 | Detroit | 82 | 82* | 31.5 | .401 | .345 | .696 | 3.1 | 1.3 | 1.1 | .2 | 12.7 |
| 2015–16 | Detroit | 76 | 76 | 36.7 | .420 | .309 | .811 | 3.7 | 1.8 | 1.4 | .2 | 14.5 |
| 2016–17 | Detroit | 76 | 75 | 33.3 | .399 | .350 | .832 | 3.3 | 2.5 | 1.2 | .2 | 13.8 |
| 2017–18 | L.A. Lakers | 74 | 74 | 33.2 | .426 | .383 | .789 | 5.2 | 2.2 | 1.4 | .2 | 13.4 |
| 2018–19 | L.A. Lakers | 82* | 23 | 24.8 | .430 | .347 | .867 | 2.9 | 1.3 | .9 | .2 | 11.4 |
| 2019–20† | L.A. Lakers | 69 | 26 | 25.5 | .467 | .385 | .775 | 2.1 | 1.6 | .8 | .2 | 9.3 |
| 2020–21 | L.A. Lakers | 67 | 67 | 28.4 | .431 | .410 | .866 | 2.7 | 1.9 | .9 | .4 | 9.7 |
| 2021–22 | Washington | 77 | 77 | 30.2 | .435 | .390 | .890 | 3.4 | 1.9 | 1.1 | .3 | 13.2 |
| 2022–23† | Denver | 76 | 76 | 31.3 | .462 | .423 | .824 | 2.7 | 2.4 | 1.5 | .5 | 10.8 |
| 2023–24 | Denver | 76 | 76 | 31.6 | .460 | .406 | .894 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 1.3 | .6 | 10.1 |
| 2024–25 | Orlando | 77 | 77 | 29.6 | .439 | .342 | .863 | 2.2 | 1.8 | 1.3 | .4 | 8.7 |
| Career | 912 | 770 | 29.6 | .428 | .367 | .822 | 3.0 | 1.8 | 1.2 | .3 | 11.2 | |
NBA Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Detroit | 4 | 4 | 40.3 | .440 | .444 | .714 | 4.3 | 2.8 | 1.8 | .3 | 15.3 |
| 2020† | L.A. Lakers | 21 | 21 | 29.1 | .418 | .378 | .815 | 2.1 | 1.3 | 1.0 | .2 | 10.7 |
| 2021 | L.A. Lakers | 5 | 5 | 29.2 | .379 | .211 | 1.000 | 2.8 | 1.0 | 1.0 | .0 | 6.2 |
| 2023† | Denver | 20 | 20 | 33.5 | .457 | .380 | .829 | 3.3 | 1.6 | 1.3 | .7 | 10.6 |
| 2024 | Denver | 12 | 12 | 35.0 | .395 | .327 | 1.000 | 2.9 | 2.6 | 1.4 | .4 | 8.1 |
| 2025 | Orlando | 5 | 5 | 32.6 | .267 | .261 | .750 | 3.0 | 1.8 | 1.4 | .6 | 5.0 |
| Career | 67 | 67 | 32.4 | .418 | .358 | .843 | 2.8 | 1.7 | 1.2 | .4 | 9.7 | |
College Statistics
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011–12 | Georgia | 32 | 32 | 32.1 | .396 | .304 | .654 | 5.2 | 1.2 | 1.8 | .3 | 13.2 |
| 2012–13 | Georgia | 32 | 32 | 33.9 | .433 | .373 | .799 | 7.1 | 1.8 | 2.0 | .5 | 18.5 |
| Career | 64 | 64 | 33.0 | .415 | .339 | .727 | 6.2 | 1.5 | 1.9 | .4 | 15.9 | |
Personal Life
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Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was born to Rhonda Caldwell and Lawrence Pope. He decided to add his father's last name, Pope, to his own when he was in high school.
Caldwell-Pope married McKenzie Redmon in June 2016. They have three sons and one daughter.
See also
In Spanish: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope para niños
