Kentavious Caldwell-Pope went to Philadelphia hoping to help the 76ers catch lightning in a bottle. His introduction to the city delivered the real thing first.
The former Los Angeles Lakers guard’s new penthouse was struck by lightning just minutes after his wife, McKenzie, signed the lease, according to her TikTok account of a chaotic moving day that ended with water pouring from the ceiling and the family scrambling down 14 flights of stairs.
“Minutes after I sign the lease, you guys, I hear the loudest bang I’ve ever heard in my life,” McKenzie recalled in a video.
She said water quickly began flooding the unit, while the lightning strike disabled the elevators. Movers who were still bringing the family’s belongings upstairs reportedly became trapped in one and needed assistance from firefighters.
The strangest part came later.
McKenzie said an electrician who inspected the damage told her there was a “1 in 400 million chance” of a unit being struck in that fashion. The precise odds have not been independently verified, but the bizarre incident still made for an unforgettable welcome to Philadelphia.
The 33-year-old landed there after agreeing to a buyout with Memphis and signing a one-year deal with the 76ers, reuniting him with former Lakers teammate LeBron James.
Caldwell-Pope and James already know what winning together looks like. KCP started throughout Los Angeles’ 2020 championship run, including a 17-point performance in the title-clinching Game 6 against Miami. He later won another championship with Denver in 2023.
Philadelphia is betting that kind of experience can help stabilize a loaded group featuring James, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown and VJ Edgecombe.
Caldwell-Pope is chasing his third ring after averaging 8.4 points in 51 games for Memphis last season before right pinky surgery ended his year.
A lightning strike is usually a terrible way to start life in a new home. For a 76ers team taking a big swing at a championship, it can only hope it was a preview of the kind of lightning it is trying to catch.
