Exclusive
LOSING HIS PERKS
‘Disrespectful’ Kendrick Perkins ‘lost all respect’ at Boston Celtics after ESPN star is banned from ex-player policy
The former Boston center is even 'hated' by some current players
KENDRICK Perkins is unlikely to ever be welcomed back to the Boston Celtics following his criticisms of the franchise, according to an insider.
One member of the current roster has told The U.S. Sun that the ESPN star has no right to be upset about being excluded from the Celtics' NBA title celebrations.
5
5
5
Perkins was a hero in Boston after spending the first eight seasons of his NBA career with the Celtics and helping the team win the title in 2008.
But following his repeated barbs against them on ESPN in recent years, he has now burned all bridges with the franchise.
"I mean, what did he expect?" the insider said.
"He criticizes the franchise and the players, uses very bad words to criticize the coach, the players and he expects to be respected in return?
Read more on Kendrick Perkins
"That doesn’t work like this, life doesn’t work like this. If you start a fire, expect to be burned.
"He came to try to play it nice many times, but I can call his bulls**t very fast, and that kind of behavior is very disrespectful."
The insider added that Perkins is even "hated" by some current players.
"We aren’t dumb, we know the TV and the spotlight probably got into his head, but you can’t insult people and expect them to say hi to you or be nice with you," the player added.
Most read in Basketball
"I am being polite, but there are other teammates of mine that hate him, and have zero respect for him.
"You can't be on TV and insult people, calling them stupid and tell them that they are scared?
Boston Celtic slammed as 'pathetic and embarrassing' after banning ex-player Kendrick Perkins from duck boat parade
"Come on now… I am not the kind of guy who has hate towards people, but Kendrick is someone that I don’t respect.
"I don’t know if people here are going to forgive him, but I really think that he won’t be welcome as a Celtic anymore."
Perkins' former teammate Brian Scalabrine recently revealed the ESPN analyst would not be at the team's parade following last season's triumph.
"It’s not really an open-arms thing with Kendrick Perkins," he told SiriusXM Radio.
And Perkins quickly hit back at Scalabrine's comments.
"I heard Scalabrine the other day, and I love Scal, but he pissed me off,” Perkins said to The Mark Jackson Show.
5
"I never said I wanted to come! It wasn’t my moment, or 2008’s moment. It was 2024’s moment. Let them have their moment."
Perkins even labeled Scalabrine a "coward" following his comments over the celebrations.
"Was I the only 2008 member missing from the duck boat? No, I wasn't," Perkins told 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Felger & Mazz.
"[Eddie] House, my guy, he was there. Leon Powe, great friend of mine as well, he was there.
"Scal was there and Paul [Pierce] was there. There was still 11 other guys missing."
Perkins was highly critical of the Celtics during the 2022 NBA Finals, which they lost to the Golden State Warriors.
“I’ve been one that’s been one of the biggest advocates for Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown since they put the world on notice back when Tatum was a rookie," Big Perk continued.
5
"And my thing is over the past couple years, they’ve had their letdowns.
"So the criticism, it was warranted. It wasn’t like I was just making it up.
"As far as [coach] Joe Mazzulla, I didn’t believe that his system could get it done."
Perkins added: "Now I have nothing to say, I mean congratulations to them.
Read More on The US Sun
"But the thing is, Boston fans, they expect you to be married to them for life. Like a sense of entitlement, like you owe them your life.
"And that’s just not the case."