Kendrick Perkins made a smooth transition from the NBA into a role as a TV analyst with FS1 and then ESPN, appearing regularly on shows such as The Jump, Get Up, First Take, and SportsCenter. That will continue for the foreseeable future as ESPN announced Friday that it had signed Perkins to a multi-year extension.
ESPN re-signs #NBA analyst @KendrickPerkins to a multi-year deal
Continues year-round presence across multiple ESPN platforms including #TheJump, #HoopStreams, @SportsCenter, @FirstTake & @GetUpESPN pic.twitter.com/efMhtO5LiJ
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) May 7, 2021
Included in Perkins’s ongoing roles will also be continued appearances on “Hoop Streams,” the popular streaming show hosted by Cassidy Hubbarth.
Perkins spoke with Boston.com about his excitement over the extension and his role at ESPN, commenting on the personal style that has made him stand out from other analysts.
“I’m really happy about it, because I really enjoy it, and I don’t think a lot of people expected me to do this when my career ended,” said Perkins. “At first when I started doing TV stuff, people were like, ‘Man, Perk, he’s so country, he talks slow,’ and things of that nature. But now people know who I am now, the individual, and they know what they’re going to get from me.
“…I’m a country boy from Beaumont, Texas. Sometimes I may speak with broken English. But what I always tell people is that this is not English class. We’re talking basketball here. We’re talking about hoops. So I approach it as a real job, but I love it because I get to be myself, and talk about it like I’d talk about it with my friends or teammates. I think people watching like that and know I’m being real.”
https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsNBA/status/1311123171005706241?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1311123171005706241%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fclutchpoints.com%2Fnba-news-kendrick-perkins-fires-back-at-meme-calling-him-second-worst-analyst%2F
Perkins also works as an analyst for NBC Sports Boston’s Celtics games and he will continue to do so. While ESPN doesn’t afford that luxury to all of its employees they made an exception for Perkins, who played for Boston for 8 seasons. One of the reasons the deal works for Perkins is that his work for ESPN doesn’t conflict with his work for NBC Sports Boston.
“My schedule works out well,” said Perkins. “The majority of the shows I do for ESPN are throughout the day on weekdays. So I’m able to do the Boston job because it’s mostly in the evening time. The only time the Celtics have an afternoon game is really on the weekends, so I’m able to do that too because most of the time I don’t have anything to do [for ESPN].”
No word yet on how Perkins’s Pomeranian dog will benefit from the extension. The dog, which recently barked its way into a live appearance with Perkins, might have some specific demands for future appearances and/or treats.
https://twitter.com/NBCSCeltics/status/1382920118578130944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1382920118578130944%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fawfulannouncing.com%2Flocal-networks%2Fkendrick-perkins-interrupted-by-pomeranian-during-nbc-sports-boston-analysis.html
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.