The war of words in the basketball media world just got a little hotter. Charles Barkley, never one to hold back, had some choice words for ESPN’s coverage of the NBA—and specifically, Kendrick Perkins.
“He an idiot and a fool, he know who he is. Kendrick Perkins… the fools on the other network (ESPN), which we’re going to be working for next year,” Barkley said bluntly on television.
And just like that, Perk was on the clock.
I caught up with Kendrick Perkins via phone, and let’s just say, he was far from pleased with Barkley’s comments.
“My thing is don’t play with me like that. I am the smoke,” Perkins told me. “I don’t come up with the topics on ESPN and I don’t produce the shows. That’s not my job. My job is to give my opinion. Haven’t you been hearing me talk about the Oklahoma City Thunder and how I have them picked to win the West? It’s on my Twitter timeline. I said it on record.”
Perkins, a former NBA champion turned outspoken analyst, didn’t shy away from defending himself and his role at ESPN.
“I’m not Producer Perk, I’m not Executive Producer Perk. I do my job as an analyst and I go home,” he continued. “If they ask me how I feel about the Lakers or the Warriors, I talk about it and I weigh in. That’s literally my job. You want some smoke? Yeah, me too! Straight up! All that idiot and fool talk? Knock it off. I don’t come up with the topics.”
This all comes amid growing criticism of ESPN’s NBA coverage, with fans and analysts alike calling out the network for its heavy focus on the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors while barely mentioning top teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets, and Minnesota Timberwolves.
Barkley, who’s always been vocal about what he sees as overhyped coverage, made it clear that he believes ESPN’s basketball analysis needs a reset. But Perkins isn’t taking the heat lying down.
The bigger conversation? Whether ESPN will shift gears and start showing love to the teams actually dominating the standings—or if the Lakers and Warriors will continue to be the main event, no matter what.
Either way, one thing is for sure: Perk ain’t ducking the smoke.
