LA Lakers News: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to Miss Upcoming Games Due to Previous Drunk Driving Arrest
Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will miss several upcoming games in compliance with a sentence from his previous drunk driving arrest.
Caldwell-Pope's lawyer, Jeffrey Lance Abood, confirmed to ESPN on Sunday that the 24-year-old NBA player would not be able to join his team in a number of upcoming games as he was set to enter an "intensive program" for the next 25 days as part of his plea deal.
While still playing for the Detroit Pistons, Caldwell-Pope was arrested and charged of operating while intoxicated last May. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a 12-month probation.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
"As a condition of that plea, he was subject to extremely strict and challenging compliance terms by the court. Kentavious complied with most of the terms of his probation and he has had no further driving or other infractions since that time," Abood stated.
Abood also explained that the court had agreed to end Caldwell-Pope's probation early, in consideration to his NBA schedule, under the condition that he would enter the said 25-day intensive program. This will prevent him from traveling with the rest of the Lakers, missing upcoming games.
Meanwhile, Caldwell-Pope's lawyer said this will later have a positive result as the player will be allowed to "continue with his NBA season and move forward" after the intensive program.
In his own statement, Caldwell-Pope also expressed his gratitude to the court for considering his career and agreeing to modify his sentence. He also thanked the Lakers organization for "allowing [him] to continue with my NBA season while I complete the strict requirements set by the Court."
Meanwhile, as for the L.A. front office, the team reiterated it has been complying with the court decision and the rules that Caldwell-Pope's probation entailed.
In June, while still with the Pistons, Caldwell-Pope was suspended by the NBA after pleading guilty to his OWI charge. A month later, he joined the Lakers under a reportedly $18 million deal for one year.
For the 2017-18 NBA season, Caldwell-Pope is averaging 14.2 points, 2.3 assists and 4.9 rebounds per game.
