University of Georgia Athletics
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KCP Wins Second NBA Championship
June 13, 2023 | Men's Basketball
Former Bulldog captures second ring in four seasons
ATHENS, Ga. — Former Georgia Bulldog Kentavious Caldwell-Pope played an integral run in the Denver Nuggets' 2023 NBA Championship, both throughout the season and at the end of Monday night's title-clinching win over Miami.
Caldwell-Pope earned his second NBA title in four seasons after also helping the Los Angeles Lakers secure the 2020 championship. In the process, Caldwell-Pope became just the 33rd player in NBA history to win championships with multiple teams.
Caldwell-Pope joined the Nuggets in a trade last June and went on to average 10.8 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.5 steals per game during 76 regular-season outings this season. He contributed similar stats – 10.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.6 apg and 1.3 spg – in Denver's 20 Playoff contests.
In Monday's 94-89 win over the Heat, Caldwell-Pope recorded an extremely thorough line score of 11 points, four rebounds, three blocks, two assists and two steals. He made several critical plays in the game's conclusive minutes.
Caldwelll-Pope knocked down a 3-pointer with 4:06 remaining that put the Nuggets up 86-79.
Miami pulled within 90-89 and gained possession before Caldwell-Pope stole a Jimmy Butler pass with 27.1 seconds on the clock and was fouled three seconds later. With Denver shooting just 9-of-19 from the free throw line at that point, Caldwell-Pope knocked down both attempts to push the margin back to three.
Caldwell-Pope then grabbed a defensive rebound with 9.1 seconds remaining and dribbled out the clock.
A native of Greenville, Ga., Caldwell-Pope was a McDonalds All-American and ranked as the nation's No. 24 prospect in the Class of 2011 by espn.com. Two years later, he left as a top-10 pick in the NBA Draft.
Caldwell-Pope was named the 2013 SEC Player of the Year by both the Associated Press and league coaches following his sophomore season in Athens. He finished second among SEC scoring leaders, averaging 18.5 ppg, and ranked among conference's top performers in nine of 13 statis. Caldwell-Pope was one of just nine NCAA Division I players to score in double digits in every game played during the 2012-13 campaign.
Caldwell-Pope was selected No. 8 overall by the Detroit Pistons in the 2013 NBA Draft. He played four seasons with the Pistons before signing with the Lakers as a free agent in 2017. Following four seasons in Los Angeles, Caldwell-Pope played for Washington during 2021-22 and then joined the Nuggets.
During his career, Caldwell-Pope has started 617 of 759 regular-season games played in 10 NBA campaigns, compiling 8733 points, 2356 rebounds, 1333 assists and 861 steals. In addition, he has started all 50 games in four Playoff appearances with the Pistons, Lakers and Nuggets, averaging 10.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.2 steals.
Caldwell-Pope is the second Georgia Bulldog to win an NBA Championship. Shandon Anderson helped the Miami Heat capture the 2006 title.
Caldwell-Pope earned his second NBA title in four seasons after also helping the Los Angeles Lakers secure the 2020 championship. In the process, Caldwell-Pope became just the 33rd player in NBA history to win championships with multiple teams.
Caldwell-Pope joined the Nuggets in a trade last June and went on to average 10.8 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.5 steals per game during 76 regular-season outings this season. He contributed similar stats – 10.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.6 apg and 1.3 spg – in Denver's 20 Playoff contests.
In Monday's 94-89 win over the Heat, Caldwell-Pope recorded an extremely thorough line score of 11 points, four rebounds, three blocks, two assists and two steals. He made several critical plays in the game's conclusive minutes.
Caldwelll-Pope knocked down a 3-pointer with 4:06 remaining that put the Nuggets up 86-79.
Miami pulled within 90-89 and gained possession before Caldwell-Pope stole a Jimmy Butler pass with 27.1 seconds on the clock and was fouled three seconds later. With Denver shooting just 9-of-19 from the free throw line at that point, Caldwell-Pope knocked down both attempts to push the margin back to three.
Caldwell-Pope then grabbed a defensive rebound with 9.1 seconds remaining and dribbled out the clock.
A native of Greenville, Ga., Caldwell-Pope was a McDonalds All-American and ranked as the nation's No. 24 prospect in the Class of 2011 by espn.com. Two years later, he left as a top-10 pick in the NBA Draft.
Caldwell-Pope was named the 2013 SEC Player of the Year by both the Associated Press and league coaches following his sophomore season in Athens. He finished second among SEC scoring leaders, averaging 18.5 ppg, and ranked among conference's top performers in nine of 13 statis. Caldwell-Pope was one of just nine NCAA Division I players to score in double digits in every game played during the 2012-13 campaign.
Caldwell-Pope was selected No. 8 overall by the Detroit Pistons in the 2013 NBA Draft. He played four seasons with the Pistons before signing with the Lakers as a free agent in 2017. Following four seasons in Los Angeles, Caldwell-Pope played for Washington during 2021-22 and then joined the Nuggets.
During his career, Caldwell-Pope has started 617 of 759 regular-season games played in 10 NBA campaigns, compiling 8733 points, 2356 rebounds, 1333 assists and 861 steals. In addition, he has started all 50 games in four Playoff appearances with the Pistons, Lakers and Nuggets, averaging 10.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.2 steals.
Caldwell-Pope is the second Georgia Bulldog to win an NBA Championship. Shandon Anderson helped the Miami Heat capture the 2006 title.
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