Over the course of his 14-year NBA career, Kendrick Perkins developed a reputation as an enforcer who was never shy to seek out a confrontation.
And yet somehow, the former Boston Celtics big man seems even more drawn to conflict as a member of the media.
Perkins’ latest target comes in the form of TNT analyst Reggie Miller, who was on the call for the Denver Nuggets’ 101-99 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 2 of the Western Conference Playoffs on Monday. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), the 39-year-old ESPN analyst accused the Hall of Fame shooting guard of calling the game in a way that was biased toward the Nuggets.
“Reggie Milller rooting for Denver or something? Jesus Christ,” Perkins wrote.
Without any elaboration, it’s hard to know what exactly Perkins was referring to. The post was made at 12:12 a.m. ET, which came shortly after Denver had gone on a 6-0 run to cut the Lakers’ once-20-point lead to just five points with a little more than eight minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
Looking back at the tape, Miller curiously didn’t say much of anything while the Nuggets were in the midst of their run that preceded Perkins’ post. Moments earlier, the 5-time All-Star did provide some insight into what he thought Denver needed to do to continue to cut into the Lakers’ lead — as one might expect an analyst to do — but he hardly said anything that sounded slanted toward the Nuggets.
Perhaps Perkins was confusing Kevin Harlan’s perpetual excitement for Miller, or maybe he mistook Miller’s analysis for fandom. In that case, it’s worth noting that Perkins’ own posts sure seemed like someone rooting for the Lakers to win — not that I would ever accuse him of being biased in his analysis.
Now carry the hell on.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.