Lakers’ LeBron James Sends Message on Nuggets’ Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

Getty Lakers' LeBron James and Nuggets' Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

After the Los Angeles Lakers finished practice on May 15, LeBron James talked about his former teammate, Denver Nuggets shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

James and Caldwell-Pope were teammates on the Lakers for three seasons, so LeBron knows how valuable KCP is.

“His energy. His energy is second to none,” James said. “He plays at a high level every single game. Just his availability, he’s always in uniform. And that’s what separates him from other guys around the league. He pretty much plays every game. And he’s very experienced. So we know what we’re going against. He comes in with energy and he plays the game the right way.”

Caldwell-Pope helped the Lakers win the 2020 championship at the Walt Disney World bubble. Ironically, Los Angeles beat Denver in the Western Conference Finals that year. Now, Caldwell-Pope is on the other side of the Lakers-Nuggets rivalry.

“That’s crazy, right?” Caldwell-Pope said on May 15. “We just talked about it yesterday and had a laugh about it. The crazy thing about it is that the same four teams that were in the bubble in the conference finals are back in the conference finals again. We had a good laugh about it. … This series is going to be fun. We have to go through them guys to get to the championship.”

Darvin Ham on Kentavious Caldwell-Pope: He’s a ‘Versatile Defender’

Lakers head coach Darvin Ham called Caldwell-Pope a “versatile defender” for the Nuggets, who are the No. 1 seed in the West.

“Man, just again, versatile. Really a versatile defender,” Ham said. “A guy that’s fast, that can score and make some good hustle plays, comes up with a lot of loose balls, long rebounds, 50-50 balls. And a competitor, a championship competitor with that pedigree. So they have so many people that you have to account for but in different ways and you definitely have to match his speed and be aware of him, him running out for layups, him sprinting for corner threes. His energy is really infectious for their group.”

Caldwell-Pope averaged 10.8 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists during the regular season while shooting 46.2% from the field, 42.3% from beyond the arc and 82.4% from the free-throw line. The 30-year-old is one of the best two-way players in the NBA.

LeBron James on the Nuggets: They’re a ‘Great Team’

James called the Nuggets a “great team.” The four-time MVP and four-time Finals MVP has a lot of respect for Denver.

“They’re better, but they were great then, and they’re great now,” James said. “Joker has gotten two more years under his belt. Jamal has gotten back to his regular form after the injury. And the rest of those guys are playing exceptional basketball. They’re a really really, really, really good team. Every game, every postseason, every matchup allows you to continue to grow as a franchise, as a team, and they’ve done that. So we come in with the utmost respect for this team.”

The Nuggets won 53 games during the regular season and beat the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs and the Phoenix Suns in the conference semifinals. Denver is undefeated at home in this postseason and has an overall record of 8-3.