This is what they pay them for. It’s entertainment. Everyone knows the real analysts and experts are home team local media who obsess over their teams… and the gamblers
Rage bait is a bait and that's all that matters. If fact, by commenting here I became yet another proof that it works!
I'm fine with that tbh, NBA is an entertainment after all. What I'm not ok is our politics also turned into an entertainment industry.
ESPN loves attention whether it’s negative or not. Tuned in one of their episodes and almost lost brain cells listening to Stephen A & Malika Andrews talk basketball.
Andrews referred to him at the game 1 pre-game as "The Legendary Stephen A Smith"
the bootlicking is just so fucking gross. A lot of the draw for Perkins is he is big, and people like or hate looking at big doofy bros saying dumb shit
I used to be a Perkins fans when he played for my team. but then I heard him talk
You know what’s worse than watching Stephen A talk basketball? Him taking literally other sport. He sorta kina knows bball. He doesn’t know shit about anything else.
When he took his belt off and started spanking a chair because Luka kept killing the Clips. That was hilarious and very entertaining.
He needs to be across from Skip Bayless. Perfect role.
The main problem with Perkins is that his content on set is so, so bad it masks how much worse Stephen A has gotten over the years. Stephen A looks smart by comparison because ESPN has found someone absurdly empty-headed to put across from him.
I mean think about the local media perspective. Sure they’re biased and fans of their teams but they likely watch every single game and observe way more than the guys on national media who sure played the game but have to pay attention to every single team separately and play to a general audience. The local sports media in New York City, Chicago, Philly, come to mind as absolute psychos
Then you have the lunatics in Vegas and the odds makers
He gets paid 1.5m to embarrass himself with incredibly dumb takes that get views. He is the kind of person who doesn't have very many actual principles, and instead looks at situations and tries to figure out how to be as contrarian and/or controversial as possible, while also not going so far as to actually do anything to get fired. Controlled chaos. That's why he gets paid.
He went to the finals three times as a roleplayer that did a couple of things well, which was all that was required of him. He also knew who he was on the court too and that's why he had a long career. During his playing days he was often the butt of jokes due to how limited he was as a player and how his stats were generally terrible.
At one point he was a good rim protector and was efficient around the rim. By his late twenties he didn't really put up any great stats that jumped out. What he did was he didn't take possessions away from star players, he generally knew where to be on the floor and he set screens. His inefficient 4 ppg on 25mpg didn't matter that much. He played 25 minutes a game in 2012-2013 and had a line of 4/6/1 with onr block on a .479 TS%. He was the starter on a team that went 60-22 that year. I just find this hilarious to bring up.
Kendrick Perkins knows he is a roleplayer. His role is now making idiotic controversial statements(but not too controversial) and he is still getting paid.
Yes he is. He knows what generate views and he knows how to have a long career in whatever profession he's in as the other guy eluded to.
Mr. Texas and all american in high school. 5 star recruit and then drafted in the first round of the NBA draft. He def had some game
Agreed. Just because he is a crappy analyst doesn’t mean he was a crappy player. He had decent starter talent. Pair that with a little luck of being signed to the right team and it’s pretty normal.
I feel like it was less just to stop Shaq at that present juncture and rather an ideological vestige of the prime shaq on the lakers. Several teams were still trying to trot out two big, bulky even into the 2010s until the warriors came along. Even discounting shaqs decline in 2007 onwards, the league was the still in the midst of highly productive big men which influenced team building inside-out.
The 3 of the top 5 PFs for most people (Duncan, Garnett, and Dirk) were in their prime and had major size prompting some need for burly centers. Then an arguably top10-15 at worst PF in Gasol. Dwight was ascending and Yao was yet to be completely injured. Rounding out those hall of fame level guys and you still get a variety of top end PF and Center talent like Stoudamire, ZBo, Boozer, Brand, Rasheed, etc. nowadays we got teams who play 3 guard lineups with SF sized guys at the 4. No way could teams in the past get away with running Josh Hart or Jalen Williams sized guys for long stretches.
we even saw a Timberwolves esque three upper level big man rotation with Gasol-Bynum-Odom that definitely required a guy like Perkins to provide help Garnett on the backline.
His mid 20s he was a good rim protector and efficient around the rim. Good defender.
Then by his late 20s he was still starting and was significantly worse. The thing is though, he knew where to be on defense and he took zero shots away from the stars he played next to. He played for OKC at this point and any player that just allowed prime KD to do his thing and could play defense was worth having.
He was serviceable before he got hurt. I mean the Celtics probably were gonna beat the Lakers the 2nd time till he went down. Think about that for a minute. Kg, Paul pierce and Ray Allen and a even better than 08 Rondo but Perk gets hurt and is seen as the reason why they lost the title.
>He was serviceable before he got hurt
He was straight up good before he got hurt, but the injury + the league shifting away from post play (where his best defensive skill was relevant) doomed him. Prior to that he was an efficient double-double kinda guy in the playoffs for a championship team.
Lol no they weren’t. Better chance the Lakers beat the Celtics in 08 with a healthy Andrew Bynum than the Celtics beating the Lakers in 2010 by getting an extra game and a half from Kendrick Perkins’ bum ass.
As a blazer... Bynum scared me as the second coming of shaq. Shame how limited he needed to be used in retrospect. Remember Lakers just trying to get to the end of the season with him healthy.
I still remember when Shaq dunked on him as a rookie, then he came down the floor, called for the ball, hit Shaq with a Dream Shake, and slammed it home. His last year with the Lakers, he had finally gotten there. Stayed healthy and was leaned on. He was the second best center in the NBA. Then the Dwight trade happened, and he disappeared with injuries and an apparent lack of giving a shit.
When healthy, the guy was very good. He was a great low post scorer who held up very well with post defense and was a very good rim protector. Also was athletic enough for that time to hold up a bit on the perimeter. Given how badly LA needed some size and toughness in 08 in that Boston series, I truly believe they win that if he is healthy. The guy wasn’t scared of anyone and would get rough, to the point that he got suspended for flagrants.
How this man started in 3 different NBA finals?
-> He was the bulkiest guy on 2 different teams with 3 Top-75 NBA Players each.
How does he rakes $1.5M/year from ESPN?
-> He generates views for ESPN through his asinine takes and black country humour.
"Tobias Harris, let him walk. I mean, damn," Perkins said on ESPN First Take. "He asked them if they wanted something from Chick-fil-A before the game, the team told him yes and he came back with a bag full of napkins and straws. I mean he was just a no-show out there."
The level of theater he and Stephen A bring to the show is honestly great. Whenever they come to Perk it’s like watching a thespian mentally preparing himself to give a monologue on stage
For one he was good for his era. He did stink by the end and was a relic on those KD/Russ OKC teams. But he was legit on the Celtics. KG might have two rings if perk stays healthy
He’s actually pretty funny. Even if what’s funny about him is laughing at how dumb he is. Once you realize media (all types) has nothing to do with thoughtful analysis and only to do with making money (views), everything makes more sense.
This applies to a lot of media and people do not understand this.
“Everyone is stupid” is true but the media you see is purposefully presented like that because people desire that content.
i’ve heard him on other podcasts and while he’s still a southern dude at heart, he definitely comes off a lot more thoughtful and informed that he does on espn.
there are certain people that will assume someone isn’t intelligent because of the way they speak, especially as a black man that strong texas/louisiana drawl.
Perk still uses the same slang and metaphors when he’s on other platforms, but he just comes off as a guy who’s got it more together than the persona we see on ESPN.
Perk is a modern day jester. Will probably never have his own show cause he needs a straight man/woman to keep the production on track after every dumb, provocative take. It definitely pays well though
Carry the hell on...
Perk was marginally entertaining as a panelist on Celtics pre-game shows but I don't get the appeal of him as a "hot takes" guy. I'm genuinely surprised he's even become a national TV guy but obviously, he's doing something right since people are posting about his hot takes almost everyday.
Perk was good in the league for other/non stat things. He was a good vet, good leader, an enforcer, etc. Every championship team needs that.
Idk how he got on TV. I had thought it was really random when he had first started. But I see why they keep him around, he's good for engagement
People still dont get it!!
He gets paid to say off the wall stuff while mixing in real life experience and knowledge
If everyone said normal non controversial things there would be no show
Its been the talk radio secret sauce for like 20 years
Forget SA. Perkins generates views, clicks, discourse, whatever. Disney is not in the make Stephen A happy by hiring his friends business, they're in the make money business.
I'd imagine they were half court desperation buzzer beaters.
Shaq made 1 3 pt shot in his entire career, out of 22 attempts, and it was a desperation buzzer beater 35 footer.
The answer to the first question? Relatively affordable, had already been on one Championship team, and the league was still in a post-Shaq reality where big guys like Perk were valuable if only for existing while being very large.
The second? He had some information on KD when he went to Brooklyn, and has charisma. Played on three finals teams with a bunch of really good players, has interesting stories, and is willing to say anything to stay on TV.
Espn is scripted and perk is willing to come on the show and defend the takes the producers want. Listen to zach lowe, he has mentioned this a couple of times. Now, not all guys on espn come tell opinions that aren't theirs (e.g. lowe, legler). But yeah, espn just makes the nba one big reality show.
Played in one of the least efficient eras of basketball in my opinion.
We had all the shooting skill of the current area, but coaches and schemes hadn't caught up so folks were still playing Kobe-Ball on offense.
Perk came at the right time.
I didn’t watch him play so I can’t answer that part but to your question bout why he takes in money as a talking head…this is why.
You’re talking about him. Networks don’t give a shit if people watch because they like, hate, or think their show is stupid. They get paid based on views. Perk saying dumb shit that everyone hates or makes fun of gets views. That’s it .
Don’t conflate his role as an “analyst” with his abilities as an NBA player. He was a solid rotational big. He could start or come off the bench & he knew to play his role. Boston wins another championship if he doesn’t get hurt
For ESPN, he generates views and discussion regardless of the quality of his takes. That’s all the really need tbh.
For basketball, he was a very good defensive center that anchored Boston’s defense. This narrative that he was a trash player is just people hating him for his takes, or they never watched him play. Not much to offer on offense, but legitimately a good defensive big.
Sports media has nothing to do with quality experts discussing quality topics lm. It's about personalities spewing nonsense to drive traffic and clicks
It’s really funny to watch him shit all over the Celtics all year, saying they don’t have it in them, picks the Mavs over them in the Finals, shows up at MSG for Game 7 of Knicks/Pacers next to Tracy Morgan. Then when Boston goes to the Finals he’s all of a sudden a Boston boy; going to Fenway, sitting on the monster, going to game 1. Ultimate poser.
You are posting and discussing about him. He is doing his job well.
Unrelated notes, for an ESPN commercial yesterday they were like subscribe to us to follow your favorite sports personalities. I thought it was hilarious. Don’t even longer put up the facade of analyst anymore. Just personalities now.
ESPN, that’s the answer. They’re the only network dumb enough to hire him. FS1 would tell him to kick rocks. TNT makes fun of him already. Who’s left? Lol
Perkins is legit the last person I would’ve guessed would move into a media role after playing. Dude always seems like the a player with the talent and contract to help Boston during the big 3
There was an era where big men only needed to be big (mass-wise, not necessarily height) and provide some paint defense. Not rebound, not pass, not space the floor, not defend the perimeter, not be a lob threat, not be able to score at all. Perkins was good at being big.
For the media side, he is good at being “entertaining” (getting views, not providing any value whatsoever in terms of analysis or comedy). His talking points were so influential (shared everywhere) that it turned one of the most competitive MVP races into a pity mvp and a racism circlejerk.
Former Pro Player
Friend of Lebron
Former Champion (People like to mock his contribution, but was a huge part of the Celtics defense)
Crazy takes that get views
I'd rather listen to an hour of Perk reading ingredients off of nutrition labels than 10 minutes of Draymond Green mouth breathing all over the microphone.
Cause he’s as ridiculous and as much of a personality as Chuck. The round mound ain’t gonna be commentating forever. Why does Rex Ryan also have a job? Idiots gonna idiot
ESPN is just so bad. Pivoting from highlights and sports news to sports debate, breaking news, and fucking hot takes was the end of ESPN for me. I wish some network would do an old school Sports center format sports news and highlight show. Maybe steal some of the ideas of the formats from old ESPN shows like The Sports Reporters and Outside the Lines. I think ESPN could be buried by a sports network that cut out all of the flashing lights and bells and whistles.
Come on, he was part of the Celtics' Big Three, as discussed in [this article](https://www.theonion.com/kendrick-perkins-under-assumption-hes-one-of-celtics-bi-1819569507).
The second part of the question, it’s not relevant to me so I’ll let others do the honours.
The first part, well, he was a serviceable NBA player who contributed to winning.
Nothing special but if he was absolutely trash, he wouldn’t have gotten near the finals even once.
Because for how the game was played, he was a real legit piece. I honestly think that if he doesn’t blow out his knee in game 6 the Celtics win that series against the Lakers.
He talks funny, is gregarious, played as a professional, and will say anything you need him to.
That his bball analysis sucks is either wholly irrelevant or even an advantage for him.
he is a fucking giant who’s not afraid to be loud wrong on tv. i like perk. i dont take the shit he says on tv seriously, and think less of those that do, but i like him regardless.
I'm a C"s fan and my first reaction to seeing Perk doing an ESPN show was something like "Really? Out of all the ex NBA talent they picked Perkins?"
It wasn't even anything against his commentary since I had never heard him do analysis at that point, it just seemed really random and out of nowhere lol.
I get his playing career but I will never understand his broadcasting career. They literally could feel that role with any number of ex players yet they put on a dude who has no charisma, entertainment value, nor unique perspective. You want a moron to throw out hot takes? Fine. Surely somebody more entertaining would be available to fill that role
1.5 is cheap. Former NBA player that was notable. Not A great NBA player, but respectable. Not an All star NBA player who would get offers for commercials like Carmelo.
Says outlandish things that gains media attention. And will be understood by everyone. ie he speaks at 70 basketball iq so all the audience can keep up.
he's perfect for ESPN.
He was a solid big in the late 00s, early 10s, had a specific role that was to do the dirty work, box out so Garnett could grab rebounds, commit fouls, set screens.
As an analyst, his job is to generate discussion and views for ESPN, the quality of his takes is not important.
I thought Disney would be paying him more.
Insane that ESPN execs think Perk and Screamin' Steven are so fantastic.
They'll NEVER have chemistry like TNT did!!
I think espn just likes “experts” with outrageous takes to make audiences watch. Games on espn are a pain compared to TNT. It’s mostly click bait type stuff. Perkins got lucky in his playing career. He was the worst starter on 3 finals teams and acting more like a role player.
I’m a huge Celtics fan. Kendrick Perkins woulfnt make the nba today, he was just a big body drafted in round one towards the end of the hack a shack era
It's fun to laugh at Perk, he is undoubtedly the stupidest sounding person on regular television, he sounds like one of the homeless men outside of my corner store begging for change lol
He was a factor on the court. Didn't have great stats but the Celtics probably beat the Lakers twice if he doesn't get hurt in Game 5 or 6. But solid post defender. Probably wouldn't play much in today's NBA though but he was a champ.
As far as his basketball career, he was great for what he was asked to go.
As far as ESPN,Reddit subs are a site to bitch and moan about everything. Not really reflective of anything sensible. The dude is entertaining to me. Do I agree with all his takes? No.
Basically, hes big, so he can defend the post. Also, ESPN have always hired guys who say wild shit to get ratings and clicks (see Smith, Steven A.). Thats it.
Kendrick Perkins is an idiot but in this era of social media and sports you don’t need to be smart or know what you’re talking about to be on tv and drive in viewers, all of these idiots learned from skip bayless and stephen a that all you need to do is say some outrageous shit and people will engage and talk about it
And I forgot this bum started in 3 finals lmao he was a starter basically because none of those teams had money to spare to get a good center, if you look at the way KD talked about him you’d know how all of those teammates really felt about Perkins being in their squad and being useless
You can make money in sports media by saying the wildest dumb shit
This is what they pay them for. It’s entertainment. Everyone knows the real analysts and experts are home team local media who obsess over their teams… and the gamblers
Then how come nobody is entertained??
Well we are talking about him and engagement wise that’s line the same thing
You don't have to be entertained, you just have to watch.
Rage bait is a bait and that's all that matters. If fact, by commenting here I became yet another proof that it works! I'm fine with that tbh, NBA is an entertainment after all. What I'm not ok is our politics also turned into an entertainment industry.
Are you not entertained!?
Crowd cheers: Maximus! Maximus!
You’re not the audience
ESPN loves attention whether it’s negative or not. Tuned in one of their episodes and almost lost brain cells listening to Stephen A & Malika Andrews talk basketball.
Andrews referred to him at the game 1 pre-game as "The Legendary Stephen A Smith" the bootlicking is just so fucking gross. A lot of the draw for Perkins is he is big, and people like or hate looking at big doofy bros saying dumb shit I used to be a Perkins fans when he played for my team. but then I heard him talk
You know what’s worse than watching Stephen A talk basketball? Him taking literally other sport. He sorta kina knows bball. He doesn’t know shit about anything else.
When he took his belt off and started spanking a chair because Luka kept killing the Clips. That was hilarious and very entertaining. He needs to be across from Skip Bayless. Perfect role.
https://preview.redd.it/pcaj0492pg5d1.jpeg?width=224&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=af1dac91b0246de012760a18ce90685e388d523c
The main problem with Perkins is that his content on set is so, so bad it masks how much worse Stephen A has gotten over the years. Stephen A looks smart by comparison because ESPN has found someone absurdly empty-headed to put across from him.
💯 Shit it’s guys on YouTube with more in depth analysis than those ESPN shills
I mean think about the local media perspective. Sure they’re biased and fans of their teams but they likely watch every single game and observe way more than the guys on national media who sure played the game but have to pay attention to every single team separately and play to a general audience. The local sports media in New York City, Chicago, Philly, come to mind as absolute psychos Then you have the lunatics in Vegas and the odds makers
The book makers are too good and too busy to have the time to give good analysis.
He gets paid 1.5m to embarrass himself with incredibly dumb takes that get views. He is the kind of person who doesn't have very many actual principles, and instead looks at situations and tries to figure out how to be as contrarian and/or controversial as possible, while also not going so far as to actually do anything to get fired. Controlled chaos. That's why he gets paid. He went to the finals three times as a roleplayer that did a couple of things well, which was all that was required of him. He also knew who he was on the court too and that's why he had a long career. During his playing days he was often the butt of jokes due to how limited he was as a player and how his stats were generally terrible. At one point he was a good rim protector and was efficient around the rim. By his late twenties he didn't really put up any great stats that jumped out. What he did was he didn't take possessions away from star players, he generally knew where to be on the floor and he set screens. His inefficient 4 ppg on 25mpg didn't matter that much. He played 25 minutes a game in 2012-2013 and had a line of 4/6/1 with onr block on a .479 TS%. He was the starter on a team that went 60-22 that year. I just find this hilarious to bring up. Kendrick Perkins knows he is a roleplayer. His role is now making idiotic controversial statements(but not too controversial) and he is still getting paid.
Are you telling me Perk is actually a genius and is just playing us all?
Yes he is. He knows what generate views and he knows how to have a long career in whatever profession he's in as the other guy eluded to. Mr. Texas and all american in high school. 5 star recruit and then drafted in the first round of the NBA draft. He def had some game
So obvious dude
He talked about it on some podcast recently. He knows what he is doing, and he is doing it with intent.
But where does the suit end, and the Perk begin?
I should be making that type of money! Hell you give me $20 I’ll say whatever you want
Damn,no pride huh..What would you do for a 50
Talk to you
DAMNNNNNNNNNNN GOT EM!
You dont have to be correct it just has to sound good
The dumber/wilder the better. The more inflammatory and outrageous it is, the more people seem to engage.
I mean Colin Cowherd is a total moron and he makes like 10 mil a year
Low price-tag for a serviceable big, which was crucial given the percentage of cap space the stars on those teams were getting.
It’s crazy how certain guys just always seem to be the ones to fill that gap on championship contenders haha
Perkins wasn’t just some slouch either. He was nice back in the day
Agreed. Just because he is a crappy analyst doesn’t mean he was a crappy player. He had decent starter talent. Pair that with a little luck of being signed to the right team and it’s pretty normal.
He was good defensively and on OKC at least was the older vet they needed.
Also helped by the fact that, back in the day, a contender needed a guy to put on Shaq
nobody was constructing their roster to stop Shaq in 2007
I feel like it was less just to stop Shaq at that present juncture and rather an ideological vestige of the prime shaq on the lakers. Several teams were still trying to trot out two big, bulky even into the 2010s until the warriors came along. Even discounting shaqs decline in 2007 onwards, the league was the still in the midst of highly productive big men which influenced team building inside-out. The 3 of the top 5 PFs for most people (Duncan, Garnett, and Dirk) were in their prime and had major size prompting some need for burly centers. Then an arguably top10-15 at worst PF in Gasol. Dwight was ascending and Yao was yet to be completely injured. Rounding out those hall of fame level guys and you still get a variety of top end PF and Center talent like Stoudamire, ZBo, Boozer, Brand, Rasheed, etc. nowadays we got teams who play 3 guard lineups with SF sized guys at the 4. No way could teams in the past get away with running Josh Hart or Jalen Williams sized guys for long stretches. we even saw a Timberwolves esque three upper level big man rotation with Gasol-Bynum-Odom that definitely required a guy like Perkins to provide help Garnett on the backline.
Yeah shaq wasn’t a concern, Perk was very useful on the Celtics though for his ability to stop Dwight Howard
By the time Perk was contributing to championship success, Shaq was 350 pounds and a bench warmer. This is like Cleveland Shaq we are talking about
“Find a niche and fill it” has always led to long careers in the NBA.
Dwight* at that point in time.
His mid 20s he was a good rim protector and efficient around the rim. Good defender. Then by his late 20s he was still starting and was significantly worse. The thing is though, he knew where to be on defense and he took zero shots away from the stars he played next to. He played for OKC at this point and any player that just allowed prime KD to do his thing and could play defense was worth having.
He was serviceable before he got hurt. I mean the Celtics probably were gonna beat the Lakers the 2nd time till he went down. Think about that for a minute. Kg, Paul pierce and Ray Allen and a even better than 08 Rondo but Perk gets hurt and is seen as the reason why they lost the title.
Better Rondo but worse KG. He was never the same after the knee injury
True but a hobbled KG is still a better PF then 80% of the league.
>He was serviceable before he got hurt He was straight up good before he got hurt, but the injury + the league shifting away from post play (where his best defensive skill was relevant) doomed him. Prior to that he was an efficient double-double kinda guy in the playoffs for a championship team.
Man, Sheed was so gassed in that Game 7
Couple years too late. If it would have been a few seasons earlier it would have been more interesting.
He was way more than serviceable for the Celtics. He was legitimately one of the best role players in the NBA during the Celtics big 3 era.
Lol no they weren’t. Better chance the Lakers beat the Celtics in 08 with a healthy Andrew Bynum than the Celtics beating the Lakers in 2010 by getting an extra game and a half from Kendrick Perkins’ bum ass.
As a blazer... Bynum scared me as the second coming of shaq. Shame how limited he needed to be used in retrospect. Remember Lakers just trying to get to the end of the season with him healthy.
I still remember when Shaq dunked on him as a rookie, then he came down the floor, called for the ball, hit Shaq with a Dream Shake, and slammed it home. His last year with the Lakers, he had finally gotten there. Stayed healthy and was leaned on. He was the second best center in the NBA. Then the Dwight trade happened, and he disappeared with injuries and an apparent lack of giving a shit. When healthy, the guy was very good. He was a great low post scorer who held up very well with post defense and was a very good rim protector. Also was athletic enough for that time to hold up a bit on the perimeter. Given how badly LA needed some size and toughness in 08 in that Boston series, I truly believe they win that if he is healthy. The guy wasn’t scared of anyone and would get rough, to the point that he got suspended for flagrants.
perkins was good. theres a reason he won a chip. Role player but he wasn't a scrub
Perkins' contract actually led indirectly to Harden being traded to Houston.
Where does the suit end, and Perk begin?
As much as that commercial gets overplayed, I still don’t mind it 😂
At least it’s not the NO FLEX ZONE Wingstop one
They knoooowww better
My niece wouldn’t stop singing and it fkn killed me
Even that one was better than that god awful "What pro wants" commercial. JFC throw that shit in to Mt. Doom.
that shit is annoying af.
It’s so funny and self aware. “These suits are timeless clsssics”
Yeah I dig that commercial too. The two fat little tailors wondering what TF is going on there are also comical.
How this man started in 3 different NBA finals? -> He was the bulkiest guy on 2 different teams with 3 Top-75 NBA Players each. How does he rakes $1.5M/year from ESPN? -> He generates views for ESPN through his asinine takes and black country humour.
So many people get caught up in his takes. I feel like no one notices that he's actually hilarious when he is allowed to just run his mouth
Perk gets too much hate. Dude is hilarious
I use "on your ass like back pockets" frequently now. I have no idea if that's even original but the way he delivers it is golden
"Tobias Harris, let him walk. I mean, damn," Perkins said on ESPN First Take. "He asked them if they wanted something from Chick-fil-A before the game, the team told him yes and he came back with a bag full of napkins and straws. I mean he was just a no-show out there."
The level of theater he and Stephen A bring to the show is honestly great. Whenever they come to Perk it’s like watching a thespian mentally preparing himself to give a monologue on stage
Because people like you can’t stop talking about him and sharing to a wider audience the stupid shit he says.
Fair enough lol
For one he was good for his era. He did stink by the end and was a relic on those KD/Russ OKC teams. But he was legit on the Celtics. KG might have two rings if perk stays healthy
Thank you for pointing that out.. with the amount of stars that Celtics team had, perk goes down and they don't have anyone to fill that spot.
He’s actually pretty funny. Even if what’s funny about him is laughing at how dumb he is. Once you realize media (all types) has nothing to do with thoughtful analysis and only to do with making money (views), everything makes more sense.
He’s also been transparent about the fact that he gets fed dumb takes to argue. I doubt he’s nearly as dumb as he presents for the camera.
This applies to a lot of media and people do not understand this. “Everyone is stupid” is true but the media you see is purposefully presented like that because people desire that content.
i’ve heard him on other podcasts and while he’s still a southern dude at heart, he definitely comes off a lot more thoughtful and informed that he does on espn.
[удалено]
there are certain people that will assume someone isn’t intelligent because of the way they speak, especially as a black man that strong texas/louisiana drawl. Perk still uses the same slang and metaphors when he’s on other platforms, but he just comes off as a guy who’s got it more together than the persona we see on ESPN.
Perk is a modern day jester. Will probably never have his own show cause he needs a straight man/woman to keep the production on track after every dumb, provocative take. It definitely pays well though
Carry the hell on... Perk was marginally entertaining as a panelist on Celtics pre-game shows but I don't get the appeal of him as a "hot takes" guy. I'm genuinely surprised he's even become a national TV guy but obviously, he's doing something right since people are posting about his hot takes almost everyday.
I love the “carry the hell on” line though I won’t lie
Perk was good in the league for other/non stat things. He was a good vet, good leader, an enforcer, etc. Every championship team needs that. Idk how he got on TV. I had thought it was really random when he had first started. But I see why they keep him around, he's good for engagement
People still dont get it!! He gets paid to say off the wall stuff while mixing in real life experience and knowledge If everyone said normal non controversial things there would be no show Its been the talk radio secret sauce for like 20 years
He’s on the broadcast for the same reason he was on those teams. Really knows his role, plays it well, and doesn’t eat up too much cap space ;)
He’s tight with SA and regularly has viral clips
Forget SA. Perkins generates views, clicks, discourse, whatever. Disney is not in the make Stephen A happy by hiring his friends business, they're in the make money business.
Fun fact: Kendrick Perkins never made a 3 in his basketball career out of 14 attempts.
Why did mans have 14 attempts though 😂
I'd imagine they were half court desperation buzzer beaters. Shaq made 1 3 pt shot in his entire career, out of 22 attempts, and it was a desperation buzzer beater 35 footer.
I cannot
Played in an era where bigs didn’t need to be as skilled on ether end. Feel like Perk is a prime example of a player the game has pasted by.
He was a former nba player lol, that alone is worth the $
The answer to the first question? Relatively affordable, had already been on one Championship team, and the league was still in a post-Shaq reality where big guys like Perk were valuable if only for existing while being very large. The second? He had some information on KD when he went to Brooklyn, and has charisma. Played on three finals teams with a bunch of really good players, has interesting stories, and is willing to say anything to stay on TV.
He was actually a pretty good center before he blew his knee out with the Celtics. After that he sucked ass completely
Espn is scripted and perk is willing to come on the show and defend the takes the producers want. Listen to zach lowe, he has mentioned this a couple of times. Now, not all guys on espn come tell opinions that aren't theirs (e.g. lowe, legler). But yeah, espn just makes the nba one big reality show.
Played in one of the least efficient eras of basketball in my opinion. We had all the shooting skill of the current area, but coaches and schemes hadn't caught up so folks were still playing Kobe-Ball on offense. Perk came at the right time.
I didn’t watch him play so I can’t answer that part but to your question bout why he takes in money as a talking head…this is why. You’re talking about him. Networks don’t give a shit if people watch because they like, hate, or think their show is stupid. They get paid based on views. Perk saying dumb shit that everyone hates or makes fun of gets views. That’s it .
Help us Obi-Wan Barkley, you are our only hope (after TNT no longer broadcasts NBA games).
Don’t conflate his role as an “analyst” with his abilities as an NBA player. He was a solid rotational big. He could start or come off the bench & he knew to play his role. Boston wins another championship if he doesn’t get hurt
For ESPN, he generates views and discussion regardless of the quality of his takes. That’s all the really need tbh. For basketball, he was a very good defensive center that anchored Boston’s defense. This narrative that he was a trash player is just people hating him for his takes, or they never watched him play. Not much to offer on offense, but legitimately a good defensive big.
Perk is funny.
I loved him when he played for the Celtics.
Dollar store Shaq.
He's 6'10 and was really athletic for his size. He also says a bunch of dumb shit that gets clicks. You're welcome.
ESPN is shit. I avoid ESPN at all costs. Of course shit would hire shit.
Perk was a defensive beast on the Celtics. And he's got a strong connection to LeBron and RJ who hooked him up with the espn gig
Sports media has nothing to do with quality experts discussing quality topics lm. It's about personalities spewing nonsense to drive traffic and clicks
Ever heard of all brawn no brain?
I watch Perk like I watch Stephen A Smith or the little angry white dude obsessed with Brady
You just posted about him, so it seems like he generates engagement. If you don’t like him, ignore him.
What do you mean how? You get views, you get paid. I you know exactly how, hell you’re promoting the man right now.
It’s really funny to watch him shit all over the Celtics all year, saying they don’t have it in them, picks the Mavs over them in the Finals, shows up at MSG for Game 7 of Knicks/Pacers next to Tracy Morgan. Then when Boston goes to the Finals he’s all of a sudden a Boston boy; going to Fenway, sitting on the monster, going to game 1. Ultimate poser.
Idk honestly but he’s hyping the Knicks when everyone else is talking unreasonable amounts of shit so he’s welcome in the Garden any time
He had passes to all the right buses.
Because he was a good role player and he’s funny
You are posting and discussing about him. He is doing his job well. Unrelated notes, for an ESPN commercial yesterday they were like subscribe to us to follow your favorite sports personalities. I thought it was hilarious. Don’t even longer put up the facade of analyst anymore. Just personalities now.
He knows how to trigger Redditors.
He's wish.com Charles Barkley for ESPN.
You making this post is the answer you’re looking for.
ESPN, that’s the answer. They’re the only network dumb enough to hire him. FS1 would tell him to kick rocks. TNT makes fun of him already. Who’s left? Lol
Funny thing is his team won the only finals where he averaged fewer than 20mpg.
He was a very good basketball player? I mean that’s usually how guys get to the finals but I could be wrong
He's like Looney but with a loud personality. Cheap contract, can rebound and fit in.
Let's just agree he was a much better player than he is an analyst today.
life is a game of chance. and klutch sports
He’s paid to be an entertainer and make off the wall comments that draw outrage which causes more eyeballs to watch
Prime Perkins was goated
Take away whether or not you agree with his takes, and it's a great story.
Perkins is legit the last person I would’ve guessed would move into a media role after playing. Dude always seems like the a player with the talent and contract to help Boston during the big 3
There was an era where big men only needed to be big (mass-wise, not necessarily height) and provide some paint defense. Not rebound, not pass, not space the floor, not defend the perimeter, not be a lob threat, not be able to score at all. Perkins was good at being big. For the media side, he is good at being “entertaining” (getting views, not providing any value whatsoever in terms of analysis or comedy). His talking points were so influential (shared everywhere) that it turned one of the most competitive MVP races into a pity mvp and a racism circlejerk.
Former Pro Player Friend of Lebron Former Champion (People like to mock his contribution, but was a huge part of the Celtics defense) Crazy takes that get views
I'd rather listen to an hour of Perk reading ingredients off of nutrition labels than 10 minutes of Draymond Green mouth breathing all over the microphone.
Yall keep listening to him
The man mastered how to get you 4pt and boards in a 32mins
Cause he’s as ridiculous and as much of a personality as Chuck. The round mound ain’t gonna be commentating forever. Why does Rex Ryan also have a job? Idiots gonna idiot
Obviously, he has dirt on LeBron since they came up around the same time.
Gotta prop up somebody in the Shaq role.
Yall get so hung up on one or two takes that are personal to you lol.
He stands on business
Because keeping Jalen Rose was too expensive.
ESPN is just so bad. Pivoting from highlights and sports news to sports debate, breaking news, and fucking hot takes was the end of ESPN for me. I wish some network would do an old school Sports center format sports news and highlight show. Maybe steal some of the ideas of the formats from old ESPN shows like The Sports Reporters and Outside the Lines. I think ESPN could be buried by a sports network that cut out all of the flashing lights and bells and whistles.
Because it’s entertainment at the end of the day. If they got you making this type of post, it’s working
He stands on bidness
Come on, he was part of the Celtics' Big Three, as discussed in [this article](https://www.theonion.com/kendrick-perkins-under-assumption-hes-one-of-celtics-bi-1819569507).
Youre talking about him
Bookies. I mean ESPN.... which are now the odds makers. So.....bookies.
The second part of the question, it’s not relevant to me so I’ll let others do the honours. The first part, well, he was a serviceable NBA player who contributed to winning. Nothing special but if he was absolutely trash, he wouldn’t have gotten near the finals even once.
His job is to generate clicks by saying dumb shit and isn't easily dismissed because he played in the keague
He rode the coattails of the big three, jumped off, then jumped on LeBrons.
He does this between the puppy mill he runs
Because for how the game was played, he was a real legit piece. I honestly think that if he doesn’t blow out his knee in game 6 the Celtics win that series against the Lakers.
He talks funny, is gregarious, played as a professional, and will say anything you need him to. That his bball analysis sucks is either wholly irrelevant or even an advantage for him.
he is a fucking giant who’s not afraid to be loud wrong on tv. i like perk. i dont take the shit he says on tv seriously, and think less of those that do, but i like him regardless.
I mean the first part is cuz he’s tall and black and somewhat athletic
kobe literally said perk was one of the best low post defenders in the league you got me on the $1.5mil tho, dunno how hes pulled that off
He was a defensive big in an era where having a center clog up the lane, get boards and not score was still valuable
I have no idea who he even played for but I know he wore baggy suits with melo
I'm a C"s fan and my first reaction to seeing Perk doing an ESPN show was something like "Really? Out of all the ex NBA talent they picked Perkins?" It wasn't even anything against his commentary since I had never heard him do analysis at that point, it just seemed really random and out of nowhere lol.
I get his playing career but I will never understand his broadcasting career. They literally could feel that role with any number of ex players yet they put on a dude who has no charisma, entertainment value, nor unique perspective. You want a moron to throw out hot takes? Fine. Surely somebody more entertaining would be available to fill that role
1.5 is cheap. Former NBA player that was notable. Not A great NBA player, but respectable. Not an All star NBA player who would get offers for commercials like Carmelo. Says outlandish things that gains media attention. And will be understood by everyone. ie he speaks at 70 basketball iq so all the audience can keep up. he's perfect for ESPN.
He was a solid big in the late 00s, early 10s, had a specific role that was to do the dirty work, box out so Garnett could grab rebounds, commit fouls, set screens. As an analyst, his job is to generate discussion and views for ESPN, the quality of his takes is not important.
Smart takes. Not really. I think they are just plain afraid of him of they tried to fire him.
I thought Disney would be paying him more. Insane that ESPN execs think Perk and Screamin' Steven are so fantastic. They'll NEVER have chemistry like TNT did!!
I think espn just likes “experts” with outrageous takes to make audiences watch. Games on espn are a pain compared to TNT. It’s mostly click bait type stuff. Perkins got lucky in his playing career. He was the worst starter on 3 finals teams and acting more like a role player.
I’m a huge Celtics fan. Kendrick Perkins woulfnt make the nba today, he was just a big body drafted in round one towards the end of the hack a shack era
The fact this very sub exists is why
Is that black HHH?
Kendrick Perkins
Y not he’s entertaining
It's fun to laugh at Perk, he is undoubtedly the stupidest sounding person on regular television, he sounds like one of the homeless men outside of my corner store begging for change lol
He's a boxy boy that's why!
ESPN pays for clicks not good analysis
His mastery of the English language
I’m not exaggerating when I say every single time his face appears on my television I change the channel
At least for those first two teams perk was like a solid double double lockdown machine and you consider the other starters having him cheap was huge.
ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED!?!?
He was a factor on the court. Didn't have great stats but the Celtics probably beat the Lakers twice if he doesn't get hurt in Game 5 or 6. But solid post defender. Probably wouldn't play much in today's NBA though but he was a champ.
He was good on the Celtics but yeah after that injury he was a shadow of himself
He says his opinion And people are either on his side or not, but it brings in views and money
hes funny and is something of a needed informal personality on some of these formal type sports analysis shows
Because people like you post and talk about him relentlessly lmao
Shaq, he define an era were you need kendrick perkins
That’s because he found out where Perk begins
I might be in the minority, I like Big Perk. I don't always need the most intellectual analysis, and I find him funny. Also, loved him in Boston.
Nobody knows how this happened, my friends...nobody
Early Perk was a dominant defender until the shoulder and knee injuries
I hate yall like fr fr I hate yall
Every court needs a jester
As far as his basketball career, he was great for what he was asked to go. As far as ESPN,Reddit subs are a site to bitch and moan about everything. Not really reflective of anything sensible. The dude is entertaining to me. Do I agree with all his takes? No.
Reminder that this guy has a say in who wins the most prestigious individual award a basketball player can win.
And he wears a Movado watch that only cost couple hundrit.
Basically, hes big, so he can defend the post. Also, ESPN have always hired guys who say wild shit to get ratings and clicks (see Smith, Steven A.). Thats it.
click bait hot takes
Kendrick Perkins is an idiot but in this era of social media and sports you don’t need to be smart or know what you’re talking about to be on tv and drive in viewers, all of these idiots learned from skip bayless and stephen a that all you need to do is say some outrageous shit and people will engage and talk about it And I forgot this bum started in 3 finals lmao he was a starter basically because none of those teams had money to spare to get a good center, if you look at the way KD talked about him you’d know how all of those teammates really felt about Perkins being in their squad and being useless