Former NBA journeyman center turned ESPN NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins didn't let facts get in the way of a good argument.
Perkins and J.J. Redick added another chapter into their ongoing heated discussion over Nikola Jokic and the qualifications of being an NBA MVP during an appearance on First Take on Tuesday. During a reply to one of Redick's comments, Perkins made a claim that 80 percent of the voters for the award are white.
“We do know this… that when it comes to MVP voting….when it comes to MVP voting, 80 percent of the voters are White Americans, 20 percents are others,” Perkins said. “I know that stat, if you want to talk about advanced stats, I know that one.”
Perkins felt good about his appearance and followed it up with a strong statement on Twitter.
A Speaker of TRUTH has no friends!!!
— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) March 7, 2023
Well it turns out Perkins might have been a little off on his numbers. The NBA released a statement following Perkins comments that suggested the big man did not have his facts straight.
"The NBA publicly announces the voters each year and after review, it's clear the panel is much more diverse than what was portrayed by Kendrick Perkins and we wanted to make sure that we corrected that today."
-Molly Qerim
(via @ESPNNBA)pic.twitter.com/ipf1S2Phjh
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) March 8, 2023
The NBA always enjoys little drama, so it's safe to assume that they were so upset with Kendrick Perkins' claim that they had to release a statement and demand a correction on the show the following day.
Don't expect this to stop Perkins from coming on the air and continue speak on the issues he feels passionately about. He has become one of the ESPN's more notable faces in their NBA coverage. However, it might be time for First Take to hire some fact checkers to keep this from a becoming a recurring issue.
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