NBA veteran and current ESPN analyst JJ Redick hit back against NBA champion Kendrick Perkins for recently suggesting that the NBA MVP voting process favors white people.
Last week, Kendrick Perkins addressed the news that Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets will likely win his third-straight NBA MVP Award, suggesting that it has something to do with the color of his skin. Per Fox News:
Jokic is averaging a triple-double (24.6 points, 11.7 rebounds, 10.0 assists) for the first-place Denver Nuggets.
On Wednesday’s edition of “First Take,” Perkins acknowledged only three players since 1990 have won an MVP despite being outside the top 10 in points per game: Jokic in his first MVP campaign in 2020-21, Dirk Nowitzki (2006-07) and Steve Nash (2004-05, 2005-06).
Perkins then suggested that Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash all have something “in common” with Jokic.
“What do those guys have in common? I’ll let it sit there and marinate. You think about it,” he said.
Perkins also referenced a lyric from Jay-Z – “Is it ‘Oochie Wally’ or is it ‘One Mic?'” – which has often been used to “call out hypocrisies and double standards,” according to Fox News.
On Monday, JJ Redick called out Perkins for his comment, sparking a heated exchange.
“Stephen A. (Smith), I mean no offense to you. And I mean no offense to ‘First Take’ because I think this show is extremely valuable,” he said. “It is an honor to be on this desk every day. It really is. But what we just witnessed is the problem with this show. Where we create narratives that do not exist in reality. The implication that you are implying – that the white voters that vote on NBA (awards) are racist, that they favor white people. You just said that.
“That’s exactly what you implied,d Kendrick Perkins,” Redick added.
Perkins proceeded to shake his head and emphatically protest.
“I did not!” Perkins said. “I stated the facts!”