NBA player Kentavious Caldwell-Pope experienced a chaotic moving day when his newly leased luxury penthouse in Philadelphia was struck by lightning, causing significant water damage just minutes after his wife signed the lease. The incident occurred on Friday, as detailed by his wife, McKenzie, in a video posted to her TikTok account.
Mckenzie Caldwell-Pope shared footage showing water pouring from the ceiling of the penthouse, which is located on the highest floor of the building. She described hearing a "loudest bang" shortly after signing the lease, followed by water spewing from the ceiling and flooding the apartment. The force of the event also reportedly disabled the building's elevators, forcing residents and movers to descend 14 flights of stairs.
Building staff initially attributed the flooding to tripped fire sprinklers, according to McKenzie Caldwell-Pope. However, an electrician who later assessed the damage reportedly informed the couple that the unit had been struck by lightning and estimated the probability of such an event at "1 in 400 million" due to the specific location of their unit.
The water damage was substantial, with the unit experiencing two to three inches of standing water. Movers reportedly became trapped in one of the disabled elevators and required rescue by firefighters.
The unfortunate event took place shortly after Caldwell-Pope signed a one-year, $3.8 million contract with the Philadelphia 76ers. This move reunited him with his former Los Angeles Lakers teammate LeBron James. Caldwell-Pope brings a reputation for strong perimeter defense and championship experience to the 76ers roster, having won a championship with the Denver Nuggets in 2023.