Several former Celtics champions such as Paul Pierce, Brian Scalabrine, Leon Powe and Eddie House took part in the team’s 2024 championship parade around Boston last year. One notable former C’s champion who was not welcome in the celebration was NBA pundit Kendrick Perkins, according to some comments from Scalabrine on his radio show.
This week, Celtics governor Wyc Grousbeck confirmed Scalabrine’s story in an appearance on the Club 520 podcast with Jeff Teague and explained the reasoning behind not inviting Perkins to the festivities.
“He wasn’t invited to our parade last year, that is true,” Grousbeck said. “Because he had been giving people a lot of s***, and so I had family members of players saying, ‘If that guy’s in the parade, I’m not in the parade.’ So I said, ‘OK, you win.’”
Perkins was heated last summer when he addressed Scalabrine’s comments about his lack of an invitation to the parade.
“Right now I feel like Scal is a coward. Was I the only 2008 member missing from the duck boat? No, I wasn’t,” Perkins said during an appearance on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Felger & Mazz” back in June 2024. “(Eddie) House, my guy, he was there. Leon Powe, great friend of mine as well, he was there. Scal was there and Paul (Pierce) was there. There was still 11 other guys missing. And to be honest with you, if I would’ve gotten an invite, which I didn’t — I didn’t know we was supposed to — but anyways, nine times out of 10, I would’ve turned it down. ... That’s not our moment. That’s 2024’s moment. Let those guys have their moment.”
Perkins, an ESPN analyst, has not been shy about taking shots at key members of the Celtics organization over the years so it’s no surprise that some close to the team did not want to celebrate alongside the 2008 Boston champion.
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