Kendrick Perkins leaves ESPN host stunned with his wild on-air revelation before NBA opening night | NBA News
When Kendrick Perkins made an outrageous statement that left ESPN anchor Elle Duncan speechless, the NBA opening night countdown went a little bit wild. Before defending champs the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Houston Rockets’ season-opener, Perkins appeared as a guest on SportsCenter. Perkins talked on all Garnett contributed to the team, both on and off the court, during his appearance on the Out the Mud podcast yesterday.
ESPN studio falls silent after Kendrick Perkins drops a jaw-dropping confession live on air
When Kendrick Perkins made a strange remark that left ESPN host Elle Duncan speechless, the NBA opening night countdown went slightly awry. As a guest on SportsCenter prior to the season opener between the Houston Rockets and the Oklahoma City Thunder, the reigning champions, Perkins made the strange remark.Perkins revealed:“You’ve got James Harden, he’s 20, Russ [Westbrook], 19, KD 21… When I get there, I am like, ‘Hold on. These young [expletive] are winning without any real chemistry. They ain’t even f**king with each other off the court. Damn! Russ and KD ain’t close?’”At this point, Perkins claims he decided to lay the hammer down and set some ground rules. “I am watching them, they are working. They are getting between the lines … I was like, ‘I gotta separate this s***, man,” Perkins explained, adding that he needed to find a way to get them to click off the court.To start a football trash talk, Perkins put all three of them in a group text chain. “Next thing you know, we rent a PJ, go catch a Sunday game together. Then I form a group message again. They like to play boo,” he added, noting that he was staying in the Town Hall at the time. “So they hung out, played boo, and watched football again…”The NBA expert chuckled before moving on to the next portion. Perkins, however, chose to end it with a pun of his own. The great center continued by saying that Garnett suggested to head coach Doc Rivers that Ray Allen and Paul Pierce be the Celtics’ main scorers. Perkins recalls KG saying to Rivers:“‘Hey Doc, I am going to hold this paint down. If you need me, I am here’. That was it! That was the sacrifice. Set the tone, like ‘hey, no, what I am trying to accomplish, the reason that I am here is bigger than the whole team, it’s bigger than myself.’ Once he set that bar, everybody else had to fall in line.”The 40-year-old, who was once selected in the first round of the NBA draft, then reclined in his chair as Duncan went mute for a few seconds due to embarrassment.
A heated take, a lost bond, and a moment that changed everything for Kendrick Perkins
After he made remarks about his kid, Bronny James, Perkins disclosed that he lost many of the friends he had gained while playing in the NBA, including his former colleague LeBron James.“I lost Russ, KD, Bron. I had to speak on the s***, though. And it will be a hard situation, bro. Like we talked about the McDonald’s game, and Bron got mad at me because we were talking about Bronny, about the draft.
Kendrick Perkins also talked about LeBron James (Image via NBA)
He continued:“I really didn’t want to touch on it because I’m like, bro, first of all, we shouldn’t be talking about the 55th pick. I get it, it’s his son, but then we get to diving into it, and then next thing you know, sometimes you get that microphone in front of you…”Perkins’ thoughts also highlight the difficulties that athletes’ families deal with when they are the subject of public attention. From McDonald’s All-American recognition to his 2023 cardiac crisis and subsequent 2024 NBA draft pick by the Lakers, Bronny’s story exemplifies how prominent families strike a balance between success and expectations.Even if it means sacrificing friendships in the process, Perkins believes that it is his responsibility to talk candidly about these subjects.Also read: “Clippers look old” – Kendrick Perkins takes a dig at Los Angeles Clippers on signing Chris Paul for one year
