Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will play for Lakers while serving 25-day jail sentence

Caldwell-Pope can’t play road games, but an unusual situation will allow him to play in California while doing time.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is serving a 25-day jail sentence after pleading guilty to violating his probation this summer. He’ll be allowed to play for and practice with the Lakers while they are at home, but according to The Los Angeles Times’ Tania Ganguli, he won’t be returning to his house afterwards.

Instead, he’ll go back to the Seal Beach Detention Center as part of a work-release program in which he is not allowed to leave the state of California. And if he fails one breathalyzer test during his sentence, it will be extended from 25 days to about three months.

Pope is also required to wear a GPS monitor to track his location outside of the detention center, though it is unclear if he will be forced to wear one on the basketball court.

How did we get here?

In March, Caldwell-Pope was stopped on suspicion of driving under the influence while speeding 70 miles per hour in a 25 mph zone. That charge was dropped, and he pleaded guilty to allowing another person to drive under the influence, resulting in a one-year probation sentence.

But Caldwell-Pope did not comply with a Michigan court’s drug and screening order, according to the Times. And as a result, he violated that probation and was sentenced to 25 days in jail.

Caldwell-Pope then filed a petition to serve it in California’s Seal Beach Detention Center — a pay-to-stay facility that attracts wealthy offenders.

Pope will not be able to play on the road for the Lakers and will miss games at Houston and at Minnesota. He will, however, be permitted to play against the Warriors in Oakland on Friday.

If he violates any of the terms of his probation, according to the L.A. Times, his sentence will be extended to 93 days.

Pope signed a one-year, $17.7 million contract with the Lakers last summer. He is averaging 14 points and 1.8 steals per game, and will become a coveted free agent on the market next summer.