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Kentavious Caldwell-Pope next to a lightning bolt
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is currently gearing up for his 14th season in the NBA and his first as a member of the 76ers. However, he got a rude welcome after signing the lease for a new penthouse in Philadelphia, which was flooded after being struck by lightning while his stuff was being moved in.
It’s hard not to be high on the 76ers heading into the upcoming season. The team is preparing up for its first full campaign since acquiring Jaylen Brown from the Celtics, and it made a splash in the offseason after emerging as the winner of the sweepstakes for LeBron James.
Philadelphia also added some depth to its bench at the start of August by inking Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to a one-year deal worth $3.9 million. The 76ers will be the seventh team the guard has played for since making his NBA debut in 2013, and he’s certainly no stranger to starting over in a new city.
That’s also the case with his wife, McKenzie, who he’s been married to since 2016. However, their time in Philly has gotten off to a fairly ominous start thanks to what transpired when they were moving into their new place.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s wife said their new apartment in Philadelphia flooded after being struck by lightning while they were moving in
KCP played for the Grizzlies last season, and according to a video his wife posted on Saturday, they recently packed up all of their stuff from Memphis and were planning to move into a new place in Philly last week.
Unfortunately, those plans were derailed “minutes” after McKenzie signed the lease, as she said she heard “the loudest bang I’ve ever heard in my life” before water started pouring into the apartment from the ceiling.
@mckenziecaldwellpope First day in Philly 🦸🏽♀️ #storytime
She quickly deduced the building had been struck by lightning, as she was also forced to climb down 14 flights of stairs to the lobby due to the elevators being knocked offline.
The fire department was dispatched to the scene, and an electrician who arrived a few hours later confirmed lightning was the culprit while asserting there was a “one in 400 million chance” the apartment was struck in the manner it was.
Here’s to hoping Caldwell-Pope’s (and McKenzie’s) time in Philadelphia ends up going a bit better than it started.