Kendrick Perkins has risen quickly through the ranks as an NBA analyst at ESPN, and he’s no fan of those he believes are not putting in the same work as he is. Even if they are legends in the space.
Perkins joined The Michael Kay Show on Monday and took aim at none other than Inside the NBA panelists Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal. Asked by Kay why the two TNT Sports personalities are so down on the Knicks, Perkins said they simply don’t do their homework.
“It’s obviously (that) they don’t watch basketball,” Perkins said Monday on The Michael Kay Show. “I’m serious, they can’t watch basketball on a consistent basis. The only time they actually probably watch the Knicks are when they’re covering the Knicks on their game nights.”
The question came after O’Neal predicted his Orlando Magic would sweep the Knicks, while Barkley went out of his way to cheer on the upstart Indiana Pacers over the Knicks.
Perkins, meanwhile, saluted how New York played on a West Coast road trip to close the season and praised the preparation of Tom Thibodeau and the versatility of the Knicks’ roster.
“If you’re watching the Knicks, there’s no way in hell you can downplay the way they’ve been playing the game of basketball,” Perkins told Kay.
Perkins may have just been playing to the crowd, knowing he was on a New York radio show talking to Knicks fans. Still, it’s a bold statement and crosses a third rail that broadcasters usually avoid.
It’s an open secret in sports media that someone like O’Neal, who is an investor, spokesperson, podcast host and father in addition to appearing on Inside the NBA, likely is not as plugged into the NBA as your Zach Lowes or Kendrick Perkins.
But young analysts usually kiss the ring. Perkins doesn’t seem to care about the NBA brotherhood of big men that he shares with Barkley and O’Neal, nor is he worried about honoring the path they carved out for him as a broadcaster.
No, Perkins is here to give takes and take names.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.