Kendrick Perkins
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Kendrick Perkins' recent comments about Joe Mazzulla were far different than what he said last month.
The San Antonio Spurs continue to thrive as a Western Conference contender behind the stellar All-Star play of Victor Wembanyama. Few prospects enter the league and make such an immediate impact as Wembanyama to increase his already high expectations. NBA fans were shocked when ESPN analyst and former center Kendrick Perkins compared his previous play to Wembanyama.
Perkins said the following bold statement that no one expected during his talking spot on NBA Today:
“Real quick, Victor Wembanyama, he refused to let us put him in a box, right? Like, people were complaining that we want him to go more inside, but he took those three balls yesterday and he’s knocking them down. He’s a prime example of me. While everybody else is going right, I typically go left. And that’s what he does.”
The bravado and confidence expressed by Perkins took his co-host Malika Andrews by surprise. “That is not a sentence I thought I would hear this Friday,” Andrews responded to represent what viewers felt in real time hearing this comparison. Perkins was a role player at his peak to make it quite comical that he sees himself in Wemby’s style today.
NBA Fans Mocked Kendrick Perkins
The overall response on social media for Perkins comment saw fans making fun of him and viewing the comparison as a joke. Perkins has been known for being ridiculous on the air and playing up certain talking points to intentionally get a polarizing reaction on social media.
Social media did react in such a manner to make it clear that no one buys that Wembanyama and Perkins have any similarities beyond their defensive skills. Perkins was a below average scorer in the NBA as starting center, but he certainly provided paint toughness to challenge opposing teams.
However, Wembanyama is considered a much better defender and holds potential to be an all-time great. San Antonio sees Wemby impacting the game on both ends on a higher level in ways that Perkins could never dream of. The quote from Perkins just made everyone look at him in a less favorable manner since no one believes it.
Kendrick Perkins Is Harming His Reputation
The peak of Perkins’ career saw him as the perfect center for the Boston Celtics of the late 2000s and early 2010s. Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce formed a legendary “big three” that helped Perkins and Rajon Rondo become the “glue pieces” who did the dirty work.
Boston won one title with Perkins and fell one game short of another when his injury negatively impacted them. Perkins was never the same after that injury and saw his peak run only lasting a few years. The good years should be remembered fondly for his contributions to winning basketball.
Unfortunately, the ESPN gig has led to Perkins saying absurd things and making fans remember him more for this than his play. Legendary players, like Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal, did enough to not have their words impact their prior on-court legacies. Perkins didn’t achieve nearly enough to get away with saying silly things like Wembanyama is a similar player to him.