Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s new apparel line represents him perfectly. Why, you might ask? Well, it’s because of what it’s called: Never Give Up. The 32-year-old has carved out a basketball career through his incredible self-belief and never-give-up attitude. The Orlando Magic star’s journey has always been against the odds. Despite that, Caldwell-Pope now has two NBA rings and is a quintessential player for a young Orlando team. The journeyman’s shooting from the deep has made him indispensable for whichever team he plays. In Los Angeles, he complemented the likes of LeBron James and Anthony Davis and earned his first ring as the Lakers captured the 2020 NBA championship.

Then he went to Washington before heading to Denver. Here, he helped Jamal Murray from gassing himself out on the defensive end. This helped him clinch his second ring. Against the Heat, he delivered an unforgettable moment in the finals, as he stole a Jimmy Butler pass in the final seconds of Game 5. After completing 11 years under the spotlight, Caldwell-Pope entered this past summer as one of the hottest free agents in the NBA. While he could’ve made a move to a more seasoned playoff team, the 32-year-old chose Orlando as his next challenge. As he and the Magic continue their battle in the playoffs, we’ll take a look at Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s nationality, roots, and more.

Where is Kentavious Caldwell-Pope from? What’s his nationality?

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, aka KCP’s journey began in Greenville, Georgia. Greenville blends in with a handful of other cities in central Georgia—blink and you’ll miss it. It’s a small town with around 794 people who call this beautiful place home. It’s an unlikely starting point for an NBA shooting guard, but KCP isn’t your average hooper. The Magic star took his first steps toward the NBA in Greenville, on the cracked asphalt overrun with weeds on the town’s only outdoor court. A young KCP would spend most of his free time taking shots on the court. Today, everyone remembers him back in Greenville and is proud whenever they see KCP playing in the league.

At the same time, Caldwell-Pope is also a proud Greenville native and American citizen. With that, he has always stood out on the court. As a senior at Greenville High School, he averaged 31 points and 8.2 rebounds. This was enough for him to get a place in the prestigious McDonald’s All-American Game and also the Jordan Brand Classic. His former coach, Richard Carter, refers to him as “one of the hardest working young men I have ever been around in my life.” Of course, his hard work paid off big time as colleges took notice of his talent and several of them offered KCP scholarships, being the No. 3 rated shooting guard in the country.

With the big decision looming over KCP’s head, he chose Georgia to play for the Mark Fox and Cody Anderson-led Bulldogs team. He also had other offers from Alabama, Florida State, Georgia Tech, and Tennessee, but it was Georgia for the Greenville native. Any guesses on how he did during his college years? Well, just like he played in his high school, the shooting guard took college basketball by storm. As a freshman, he was named to the Freshman All-SEC Team alongside the likes of Anthony Davis and Bradley Beal. During his sophomore year, he turned it up a notch, grabbing the SEC Player of the Year honors, averaging 18.5 points, and 7.1 rebounds. By the end of the season, he knew that it was time to go pro!

What is Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s religion and ethnicity?

A very significant part of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s life has been his family. The Greenville native is the son of Rhonda Caldwell and Lawrence Pope. Both of whom have African American roots and are proud American citizens. While KCP’s life is constantly under the spotlight that comes along with being an NBA star, his parents enjoy a laid-back life. But that doesn’t take away the fact that they’ve played a massive role in his upbringing and hooping journey. In fact, KCP lists his parents as his role models for the sacrifices they’ve made to help him achieve his dream of playing in the NBA.

Now, the 32-year-old has a family of his own with his beautiful wife, McKenzie Caldwell-Pope. The couple is proud parents of five children. McKenzie is a staple at KCP’s games and is arguably his biggest supporter after his parents. The two have been together since 2013 and seem to be going as strong as ever. Moreover, the Orlando star is a religious man. While he doesn’t mention a lot about this part of life, he comes from a religious family. “My Faith in Motion. Thank you, GOD!” KCP wrote as a caption for his Instagram post a few years back. While he’s yet to confirm his faith, this is an indication that Caldwell-Pope is a religious man. Speaking of which, there’s a unique connection between Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Lt. Pope Francis.

What is the weird connection between Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Pope Francis?

The news of Pope Francis’ demise has swept the world and sent the media into a deep analysis mode as they cover every angle of this historic event. The death of the leader of the Catholic Church has also made its way over to the NBA world. As we know, nothing passes from the eyes of NBA fans, and once again, they’ve been quick to find links between Pope Francis and hoops. Well, these unusual connections take us to Detroit, believe it or not, the Detroit Pistons did not win a single playoff game during the 11-year tenure of Pope Francis. The Pistons had 189 playoff wins before the Pope’s tenure, and after going winless for over a decade, they won again just two hours after the news of his demise broke through!

While this link was related to the Pistons, the next one is where our focus is. This curious link is between Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Pope Francis. Interestingly, the Pistons drafted KCP as the No. 8 pick in 2013, the same year Pope Francis took over as the head of the Catholic Church. This is a truly incredible revelation! Is this a mere coincidence? Well, we’ll never truly know. Nonetheless, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope continues his hooping journey with the Magic, who are going up against the Celtics as he eyes his third championship ring with this young team.