“Had to give them that b**t whipping” - Kentavious Caldwell-Pope gives hilarious take on Lakers-Nuggets rivalry

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope won his second NBA championship with the Denver Nuggets after winning his maiden ring with the LA Lakers in 2020.

While he still shared many good memories with his former purple and gold teammates, the guard knew that ball came first when the two teams faced off in the Western Conference Finals last season.

The Nuggets swept the Lakers, eventually pipping the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals to hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy for the first time.

Speaking on SiriusXM, the 30-year-old recollected what it was like playing in the Conference Finals against his former team.

"When it comes to playing in the West Finals, we're ready. Just having that camaraderie with them and being able to play against them as well.

"They're my brother still, they know that. But we had to give them that b**t whipping. It was personal, but it wasn't personal."

Caldwell-Pope spent four seasons with the Lakers, averaging 11.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.7 assists.

After winning the title with LA, he was traded to the Washington Wizards along with Kyle Kuzma as part of a package for Russell Westbrook. In his 77 games with the Wizards, he propped up 13.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists.

After a single season with Washington, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was traded, alongside Ish Smith, to the Denver Nuggets for Monté Morris and Will Barton.

In his first stint with the defending champions, he averaged 10.8 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 2.4 assists.

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Kentavious Caldwell-Pope explains how Denver Nuggets can defend their title in NBA 2023-24 season

In 10 seasons in the NBA, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has seen enough wins play out for a franchise and the pressure of retaining a title.

He did that with the Lakers after they made the playoffs in 2021 but were outclassed by the Phoenix Suns in the first round. With injuries to LeBron James and Anthony Davis, LA clawed into the postseason but couldn't repeat their heroics from the bubble run.

Now, he has another chance to do so with Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets when they play the Lakers on Oct. 24 at home.

Speaking to Sportskeeda earlier, the guard spoke of how they could defend their championship in a stacked West.

“Just being able to lead the team again. Keep them mindful of what’s the goal and what we need to do. Just get it done. You always want home court.

"Getting the one seed says a lot. We take pride in playing well early in the season just to get to that point. We’ll be ready.”

For now, it appears that Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Denver are ready. They still have their core intact, but losing Bruce Brown in the summer would have been a big blow.