Heated Clash: ESPN Analyst Calls Out Colleague for Making Up Racism Narratives ‘That Do Not Exist in Reality’

ESPN analyst JJ Redick finally had just about enough of fellow panelist Kendrick Perkins’ constant proclamations that NBA MVP voters are racists because some of them have voted for white players, and he confronted Perkins right on the air in a clash that was weeks in coming.

Redick and Perkins have been engaging in a duel on ESPN’s “First Take” as well as social media posts for more than a week over Perkins’ claim that Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic — who is white — has allegedly been “stat-padding,” Clutch Points noted late last month.

On “First Take” — where lead host Stephen A. Smith constantly rails about “racism” — Redick blasted Perkins for the “ludicrous” stat-padding accusation. Redick called Perkin’s accusations as one that is “unbased in reality.”

.@jj_redick STRONGLY disagrees with @KendrickPerkins that Nikola Jokić is stat-padding pic.twitter.com/yYrP4IWM5S

— First Take (@FirstTake) February 28, 2023

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Perkins jumped to his own Twitter account to respond to that criticism, saying that such stat-padding “goes on all the time.” And he again hinted that the NBA and its MVP vote is burdened with racism.

WARNING: The following video contains vulgar language that some viewers may find offensive.

.@JJ_redick pic.twitter.com/USUWN3NWpr

— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) February 28, 2023

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While the discussion of “stat-padding” is a bit of an in-the-weeds discussion, Perkins also repeatedly hinted that he thinks the NBA’s MVP voters are racists for voting for white players.

The former Boston Celtics star never outright said that the MVP vote is “racist.” Instead he couched his claims in code words such as “what do these guys have in common” when he was talking about white players, and they’ve moved the “goal posts” for “certain people” and “for others we don’t,” Sports Illustrated noted. But it is unmistakable in context that Perkins is saying that the MVP vote is tinged with racism.

On Wednesday, Perkins…

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