Former Boston Celtics center Kendrick Perkins has a history of awful takes, but he may have just outdone himself with new comments concerning Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Perkins compared the rookie Sanders to former United States president Barack Obama, suggesting that Sanders is the “most powerful black man since 2009.” ð§ð¥ðð¡ððð¡ð: ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins says that Browns star rookie QB Shedeur Sanders is the most powerful black man since President Barack Obama.“He’s the most powerful black man since 2009.”ð³ð³ð³ pic.twitter.com/Xv0F9aqaWw— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) November 25, 2025 “Shedeur Sanders is the most powerful black man since 2009,” Perkins said. “You know what happened in 2009? That’s when President Obama (entered office) … (Sanders is) bringing the whole black community together. … He has the balance of, ‘I’m arrogant, but I’m humble too.’ … He’s the most powerful black man in sports. … He’s the most powerful player in sports.” Perkins’s bold proclamation came amid Sanders’s breakout NFL moments with the Cleveland Browns, where the rookie quarterback has suddenly become the talk of the league. But equating a 23-year-old signal-caller to a world leader? That’s the kind of overreach that turns analysis into meme fodder. Story continues below advertisement Perkins’ fever dream ignores the sheer scale of influence at play. Obama commanded arenas far beyond football fields. Sanders, for all his poise, just notched his first career start last Sunday, engineering a gritty 24-10 upset over the Las Vegas Raiders to thrust himself into Cleveland’s QB spotlight. Sure, he’s set for Week 13 against the 49ers, flashing that cool-under-fire vibe his dad Deion preached. Impressive? Absolutely. But “most powerful”? Not so much. This isn’t to downplay Sanders’s trajectory. He’s got the arm, the swagger, and now the starting gig after the Browns sidelined Dillon Gabriel. Perkins’s remarks reek of that familiar ESPN rush to spew click-bait nonsense, sidelining nuance for viral zingers. Let’s pump the brakes before we anoint Sanders a savior. Story continues below advertisement