Bang! Just 30 minutes after signing the lease: A real bolt of lightning strikes 'LeBron's teammate'... "1 in 400 million misfortune" — forced to leave home on day one and head to a hotel

*This content was translated by AI.

A true bolt of lightning struck an NBA star preparing for a fresh start in a new city. The unlucky individual is Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, 33, who recently joined the Philadelphia 76ers.

On the 30th (Korean time), U.S.-based ClutchPoints reported that "Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, a guard acquired by Philadelphia, suffered an unfortunate accident at his new home," adding that "Caldwell-Pope's wife shared that lightning struck their newly moved-in residence, The Penthouse in Philadelphia, on the first day, causing flooding."

A powerful bolt of lightning hit The Penthouse, the new home prepared for Caldwell-Pope's family. The damage was so severe that they had to evacuate and leave the house just one day after moving in.

Caldwell-Pope's wife, Mackenzie, posted on social media: "It was our first day in Philadelphia when lightning struck our home. We are now at a hotel. We have no place to live," describing the situation at the time.

From early morning on the day of the accident, movers from a relocation company were already transporting belongings. The Caldwell-Pope family had arrived at their new home and completed all preparations for starting their new life, including signing the lease agreement.

However, just 30 minutes after signing the lease, an unbelievable incident occurred: lightning struck The Penthouse.

Mackenzie recalled, "I heard the loudest explosion I've ever experienced in my life. We were on the highest floor of the building, The Penthouse. Suddenly, something started bursting from the ceiling, and water poured down in massive amounts."

The video released by Mackenzie actually shows an enormous amount of water gushing into The Penthouse from the ceiling. Before the family could even escape, a significant amount of water had already flooded the floor.

She explained, "Everyone started screaming and shouting 'We have to get out of here.' We grabbed only our valuables and hurriedly evacuated."

The problem did not end there. Due to the lightning strike, all elevators stopped working. As a result, the Caldwell-Pope family had to descend 14 floors via stairs directly to reach a safe location.

Fortunately, it was reported that everyone inside the building managed to evacuate safely.

Because the accident was so unexpected, even building officials initially did not believe it was caused by lightning. They leaned more toward the possibility of a sprinkler system malfunction rather than a natural disaster.

However, an electrician who inspected the site determined that the damage was indeed caused by lightning. Mackenzie shared, "The electrician said, 'The probability of one household being directly struck by lightning in this manner is about 1 in 400 million.'"

For Caldwell-Pope, this was nothing short of the worst misfortune imaginable from the very beginning of his new chapter in a new city.

Meanwhile, Caldwell-Pope was selected 8th overall by the Detroit Pistons in the 2013 NBA Draft. He has since played for the Los Angeles Lakers, Washington Wizards, Denver Nuggets, Orlando Magic, and Memphis Grizzlies. A veteran guard known for his strong defense and accurate perimeter shooting, he has long been recognized as one of the league's premier '3&D' players.

He has also won championships twice. In 2020, he contributed to the Los Angeles Lakers' NBA title alongside LeBron James, and in 2023, he earned another championship ring with the Denver Nuggets led by Nikola Jokić.

Last season, he appeared in 51 games for Memphis, averaging 8.4 points, 2.7 assists, and 2.5 rebounds. He later signed with Philadelphia and is preparing for his 14th NBA season.

Coincidentally, LeBron, who shared a championship victory with Caldwell-Pope on the Lakers, also left Los Angeles this summer to wear the Philadelphia uniform. The two veterans who led the Lakers to the summit in 2020 are now sharing the same table once again in Philadelphia.

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*This content was translated by AI.