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_(cropped).jpg) Caldwell-Pope with theWashington Wizards in 2022 | |
| No. 3 – Memphis Grizzlies | |
|---|---|
| Position | Shooting guard |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1993-02-18)February 18, 1993 (age 32) Thomaston, Georgia, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Listed weight | 204 lb (93 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Greenville (Greenville, Georgia) |
| College | Georgia (2011–2013) |
| NBA draft | 2013: 1st round, 8th overall pick |
| Drafted by | Detroit Pistons |
| Playing career | 2013–present |
| 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 | |
| |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Kentavious Tannell Caldwell-Pope (/kɛnˈteɪviəs/ken-TAY-vee-əs;[1]néCaldwell; born February 18, 1993), also known by his initialsKCP, is an American professionalbasketball player for theMemphis Grizzlies of theNational Basketball Association (NBA). He was named aMcDonald's All-American as one of the top high school basketball players in the class of 2011. He playedcollege basketball for two years with theGeorgia Bulldogs in theSoutheastern Conference (SEC), and was voted theSEC Player of the Year as a sophomore in 2013.
Caldwell-Pope was selected with the eighth overall pick in the2013 NBA draft by theDetroit Pistons. He played four seasons with the Pistons before joining theLos Angeles Lakers as a free agent in 2017–18. He won his first NBA championship with the Lakers in2020. He spent a season with theWashington Wizards after having been traded there from the Lakers in August 2021, and was subsequently traded to theDenver Nuggets in July 2022, winning his second NBA championship in2023. He has also played for theOrlando Magic.
Caldwell-Pope was a highly heralded player in high school. As a senior, he averaged 31 points and 8.2 rebounds per game atGreenville High School inGreenville, Georgia. He led the Patriots to the State Class A Final Four in 2011 and to consecutive Sweet 16 berths in 2009–10.
He was named to several prominent high school All-America teams as a senior, including being selected to play in the2011 McDonald's All-American Game[2] and theJordan Brand Classic.[3]
As a senior, he was rated the nation's No. 3 shooting guard prospect, the No. 12 prospect overall, by recruiting analysts forRivals.com.
Caldwell-Pope chose Georgia to play for Mark Fox and Cody Anderson over scholarship offers from Alabama, Florida State, Georgia Tech, and Tennessee, among others.
| Name | Hometown | School | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kentavious Caldwell-Pope G | Greenville, Georgia | Greenville | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Jul 17, 2010 | |
Recruit ratings:Scout:  Rivals: (97) | ||||||
| Overall recruit ranking: | ||||||
Sources: | ||||||
As a freshman at Georgia, Caldwell-Pope was named to the Coaches' Freshman All-SEC Team, which also included NBA lottery picksBradley Beal,Anthony Davis, andMichael Kidd-Gilchrist. His highest output as a freshman was 25 points against Ole Miss, which was the most by a UGA freshman in almost 13 years.[4]
As a sophomore, Caldwell-Pope was namedSEC Player of the Year after averaging 18.5 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.[5] In his final collegiate game, he scored a career-high 32 points and 13 rebounds in a loss againstLSU at theSEC tournament in Nashville.[6] Hedeclared for the NBA draft after the season.[7]
On June 27, 2013, Caldwell-Pope was selected with the eighth overall pick in the2013 NBA draft by theDetroit Pistons. He later joined the Pistons for the2013 NBA Summer League and signed his rookie scale contract with the team on July 19.[8] On April 16, 2014, he scored a then-career-high 30 points in a loss to theOklahoma City Thunder.[9]
In July 2014, Caldwell-Pope rejoined the Pistons for the2014 NBA Summer League, where he averaged 24 points and 7.4 rebounds in five games. Head coachStan Van Gundy quickly assessed Caldwell-Pope as his best perimeter defender and he wound up leading the Pistons in minutes played with 2,587. Caldwell-Pope got better after the All-Star break, largely thanks to the acquisition of point guardReggie Jackson; post All-Star Break, Caldwell-Pope averaged 14.3 points per game. He finished the season with 153 three-point shots made, 70 more than the closest Pistons player. He tiedKevin Love for 16th in the NBA.[10]
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On December 16, 2015, Caldwell-Pope scored a then career-high 31 points in a 119–116 win over theBoston Celtics.[11] He helped the Pistons finish the 2015–16 regular season with a 44–38 record, which was good for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. The Pistons thus qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2009. In the first round of the playoffs, the Pistons faced the first-seededCleveland Cavaliers, and in a Game 1 loss on April 17, Caldwell-Pope scored a team-high 21 points.[12] The Pistons went on to lose the series 4–0.
On November 9, 2016, Caldwell-Pope scored a then season-high 27 points in a 107–100 loss to thePhoenix Suns.[13] On November 25, 2016, he recorded 16 points and a career-high 10 assists in a 108–97 win over theLos Angeles Clippers.[14] On January 8, 2017, he hit a three-pointer with 9.4 seconds left in double overtime to lead the Pistons to a 125–124 win over thePortland Trail Blazers; he finished with 26 points.[15] On February 1, 2017, he scored a career-high 38 points in a 118–98 win over theNew Orleans Pelicans. He also made a career-high eight three-pointers on 11 attempts.[16] On February 23, 2017, Caldwell-Pope scored 33 points, including three three-pointers late in the fourth quarter during a Detroit rally, as the Pistons defeated theCharlotte Hornets 114–108 in overtime. Caldwell-Pope's three-pointer with 18.2 seconds to play tied the game at 100.[17]
On June 23, 2017, Caldwell-Pope was suspended for two games without pay by the NBA for pleading guilty to operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated.[18]
On July 7, 2017, the Pistons renounced the rights to Caldwell-Pope, making him an unrestricted free agent.[19]
On July 13, 2017, Caldwell-Pope signed a one-year, $18 million contract with theLos Angeles Lakers.[20][21] He made his debut for the Lakers on October 22, 2017, scoring 20 points as a starter in a 119–112 loss to theNew Orleans Pelicans.[22] On November 27, 2017, he scored a season-high 29 points against theLos Angeles Clippers.[23] On December 13, 2017, Caldwell-Pope pleaded guilty to a probation violation he committed during the summer. He was handed a 25-day jail sentence, but under awork-release program, was allowed to leave the facility for home games and practices. He was not allowed to leave California, limiting him to only home games within the state during that period.[24] On February 24, 2018, he scored a season-high 34 points and hit a career-high-tying eight 3-pointers in a 113–108 win over theSacramento Kings.[25] On March 22, 2018, he hit eight 3-pointers and had 28 points in a 128–125 loss to theNew Orleans Pelicans.[26]
On July 6, 2018, Caldwell-Pope re-signed with the Lakers,[27] on a reported one-year, $12 million contract.[28] On December 16, 2018, he scored a season-high 25 points in a 128–110 loss to theWashington Wizards.[29] On December 30, he set a new season high with 26 points in a 121–114 win over the Kings.[30] On March 19, he had a season-high 35 points in a 115–101 loss to theMilwaukee Bucks.[31]
In 2019, Caldwell-Pope re-signed with the Lakers once again, this time on a two-year contract worth roughly $16 million.[32] In2019–20, he made a career-high 38.5% of his 3-pointers and was third on the team with 92 made 3-pointers.[33] Caldwell-Pope won his first NBA championship when the Lakers defeated theMiami Heat in six games in the2020 NBA Finals. He was instrumental in the victory, especially in game 4 when his five straight points late in the fourth quarter helped the Lakers pull away from the Heat and sealed the win in that game.[34] He started all 21 games in the playoffs, averaging 10.7 points in 29 minutes per game and making 37.8% of his 3-pointers.[33][35]
Caldwell-Pope declined his player option on the second year of his contract and became a free agent.[33] On November 23, 2020, he re-signed with the Lakers on a three-year, $40 million deal.[33][35]
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On August 6, 2021, Caldwell-Pope was traded to theWashington Wizards as part of a package forRussell Westbrook.[36] In 77 games with the team, he averaged 13.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game.
On July 6, 2022, Caldwell-Pope was traded, alongsideIsh Smith, to theDenver Nuggets in exchange forMonté Morris andWill Barton.[37] On July 16, Caldwell-Pope signed a two-year, $30 million contract extension with the Nuggets.[38][39] He made his Nuggets debut on October 19, recording two points, four rebounds, six assists and two steals in a 123–102 loss to theUtah Jazz.[40] In Game 5 of theNBA Finals, Caldwell-Pope put up 11 points, four rebounds, two assists, two steals, three blocks and grabbed the series-clinching rebound before dribbling out the final seconds on the clock in a 94–89 win over theMiami Heat to help the Nuggets win their first NBA championship in franchise history, awarding Caldwell-Pope his second ring.[41]
On July 6, 2024, Caldwell-Pope signed with theOrlando Magic.[42] Caldwell-Pope started all 77 games he appeared in during the2024–25 NBA season, averaging 8.7 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.8 assists.
On June 15, 2025, Caldwell-Pope was traded to theMemphis Grizzlies, alongsideCole Anthony, four unprotected first-round picks including the 16th overall pick in the2025 NBA draft, and a 2029 first-round pick swap in exchange forDesmond Bane.[43]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| † | Won anNBA championship | * | Led the league |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
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Caldwell-Pope was born as Kentavious Caldwell to Rhonda Caldwell and Lawrence Pope.[44] He decided to add his father's surname to his own when he was a junior in high school.[44]
Caldwell-Pope married partner McKenzie Redmon in June 2016.[45][46] They have three sons and one daughter.[47]
