Before Kendrick Perkins brought his brash Texas drawl to ESPN, he was a longtime NBA starting center and veteran locker room presence.
This week on First Take amid the never-ending feud between Stephen A. Smith and LeBron James, the conversation veered toward the NBA “greatest of all time” debate between James and Michael Jordan. Chiming in on behalf of James, the journeyman Perkins shared a memory from his playing career to show just how deep the GOAT debate runs.
“MJ is petty as hell,” Perkins said Thursday. “I was signed to Jordan (Brand) for about two years, this is when I was playing. I wore ‘Js’ for a few years during my time in Oklahoma City. After that, I used to get boxes in the mail all the time of the ‘Js’ before they even hit the stores. I started my media career. As soon as I said that LeBron James was the GOAT, those boxes stopped coming.”
Kendrick Perkins: “MJ is petty as hell too… I wore [Jordans] for a few years during my time in Oklahoma City. After that, I used to get boxes in the mail all the time of the J’s before they hit the stores. I started my media career. As soon as I said that LeBron James was the… pic.twitter.com/bUJNOQE4to
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 27, 2025
This goofy story, which even Perkins had a laugh about, would seem to indicate that not only is Jordan watching clips of ESPN basketball conversation — but he is invested enough in each analyst’s opinion that he will place calls to the marketing team based on what they say. It could be a coincidence or miscommunication that led to Perkins’ sneaker plug going away, but Perkins seems to believe it was His Airness himself.
Clearly Perk can afford his own sneakers either way. And to his credit, Kendrick Perkins may have personal gripes with someone like James, Jordan (or of course Charles Barkley) but for the most part he sticks to his guns with his audacious opinions. That’s more than a lot of personalities in sports media can say.