Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is now a two-time NBA champion, but since his first title came with the Lakers in the Bubble in 2020, Thursday in Denver was his first opportunity to enjoy a championship parade.
The veteran wing was a critical addition to the Nuggets this season, as he became part of the glue that connected the team on both ends between stars Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic. As we learned on Thursday, he also brought a different skillset that was needed on this squad: elite partier.
While Nikola Jokic was at the parade out of necessity, wishing he was back in Serbia with his beloved horses, KCP was among the stars of the parade as he drank every beer in sight. At one point, he hopped off his bus and ran over to have a chugging contest with a fan, showing impressive form as he squeezed the can to force the beer into his mouth as fast as possible, slamming it back and then giving the fan a big hug.
KCP vs. Nuggets fan chugging contest… you decide who won
#Denver7 pic.twitter.com/hQjLaW6CRe
— Nick Rothschild (@nick_rothschild) June 15, 2023
Later, he started catching beers on the back of the bus and, like any guy who grew up in the 1990s, couldn’t resist channeling his inner Stone Cold Steve Austin, slamming two together and dousing his face with them.
KCP goes @steveaustinBSR after catching a beer from the crowd pic.twitter.com/21cyHqfN95
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) June 15, 2023
This is excellent Stone Cold technique, because the goal of a Stone Cold is not to actually drink two beers but to get maybe a quarter of a beer in your mouth and the rest all over your face. KCP nailed that and appeared to be having the time of his life, enjoying the chance to finally get a championship parade for his second ring. As for how many beers he consumed on the afternoon, let’s go to the official count*.
*No confirmation on the bloody mary.