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 shifted towards the NBA’s “greatest of all time” debate involving James and Michael Jordan. To support James, the journeyman Perkins shared a memorable anecdote from his playing days to highlight the intensity of the GOAT discussion.
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
“MJ is petty as hell,” Perkins remarked on Thursday. “I was signed to Jordan (Brand) for about two years while playing. I wore ‘Js’ for several years in Oklahoma City, and regularly received boxes of shoes before they hit stores. But as soon as I began my media career and called LeBron James the GOAT, those boxes stopped coming.” This amusing tale, which even Perkins found humorous, suggests that not only is Jordan attentive to ESPN’s basketball discourse, but he’s also so invested that he might influence the brand’s decisions based on analysts’ views. Whether it was a coincidence or miscommunication regarding Perkins’ sneaker connection ending, Perkins seems convinced it came from Jordan himself.
Regardless, Perkins can certainly afford his own sneakers. To his credit, Kendrick Perkins may have personal issues with figures like James, Jordan, or even Charles Barkley, yet he consistently stands by his bold opinions. That’s more than can be said for many personalities in sports media.
