Kentavious Caldwell-Pope Plays for Lakers Despite Jail Sentence

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is currently serving a jail sentence of 25 days for violating probation, but that will not keep him from missing court time in the NBA.

According to a report published in the Los Angeles Times, the Los Angeles Lakers guard is being permitted to leave Seal Beach Detention Center to practice as well as play games under a police department work-release program.

While Caldwell-Pope was still playing for the Detroit Pistons, he was charged with the operation of a vehicle while under the influence during the early morning of March 29 in a suburb of Detroit.

He pleaded guilty at a later date to a lesser charge, which was a misdemeanor, of allowing a person to drive while under the influence.

However, last week after not complying with a court’s alcohol and drug screening order from a court in Michigan, the Lakers guard entered a program for 25 days that required him to remain in California over the period of the program under the plea agreement terms.

Caldwell-Pope has missed two of the Lakers games and will miss a third. Two of them are in Houston, while one is in Minneapolis. He also missed last Thursday’s game played in Cleveland, but was in uniform on Friday for the Lakers road game in Oakland against the Golden State Warriors.

In addition, Caldwell-Pope is required to wear a GPS monitor and must complete a breathalyzer test each time he has spent time outside the detention center. If he does not comply with the rules, he will receive an automatic sentence of 93 days to be served in Michigan at the Oakland County Jail.

Caldwell-Pope, who is 24, was picked by Detroit with the eighth pick overall in the NBA 2013 Draft and played his first four seasons with the Pistons prior to signing a deal for one year at $18 million with Los Angeles during this most recent offseason. Thus far this season, he has an average of 14.3 points per game and 4.9 rebounds.

Thus far, Caldwell-Pope and teammate Brandon Ingram are leading the Lakers in minutes played per game.

While the Lakers’ organization appears to have accepted his mistake and is working with the player so he can play during this 25-day period, it could have an effect on his career after his current one-year contract with the Lakers expires at the end of this season following the NBA Finals.