Kendrick Perkins Credits Former Teammate for Bringing Out Stephen A. Smith’s Newfound Approach in Viral GOAT Debate

Analysts like Stephen. A. Smith have an old-school touch when it comes to choosing a player between the modern and 90s era in the NBA. Not just Smith, but a majority of the fans tend to choose former NBA superstars like Michael Jordan, and Magic Johnson over LeBron James, Stephen Curry etc. But how long can these comparisons go? Well, not too long because we have the 2008 champion Kevin Garnett in the house to give a solution to it. 

Big Ticket who joined a podcast episode with the ESPN analyst took this as a perfect opportunity to teach him how to change his approach. We do not know if Smith will agree to change but, Kendrick Perkins absolutely loved what KG did there. 

Kevin Garnett’s solution for the GOAT debate could be an eye-opener for Stephen. A. Smith

You could often see that former NBA veteran JJ Reddick and Smith often get into it altercations on their show after the latter shares some poor takes. This has been continuing for quite some time now and KG is done listening to it.

Garnett along with his former teammate Paul Pierce run their own podcast show, where they often show appreciation to modern NBA stars like Jayson Tatum, Devin Booker, and even Jordan Poole. Well, this is the type of approach that KG suggested. 

A furious Garnett went off on Smith, “We got to get over this. Michael Jordan, Magic, they are the past. We got to embrace this new-ish bro. We need to embrace this greatness that’s before us… F*** what’s happening last year.” However, Smith tried to justify his take again. 

Garnett replied, “We ain’t never seen Steph Curry…We ain’t ever seen a n**** 38, average 30 and then got 39,000…We ain’t never seen that”. The Boston Celtics legend got a bit too emotional but Smith just laughed about it. 

Anyhow, Big Perk was happy that his former teammate had the courage to say it to Smith’s face. Perkins tweeted, “Leave up to KG to bring the MF outta Stephen A!!!! Love it”.

A look at Stephen. A. Smith’s debatable takes

This could be a huge list, but let’s highlight the best ones. After Kawhi Leonard faced an injury during the 2023 playoffs, Smith suggested that the Clippers should retire him due to his frequent absence. We all know Stephen Curry has been a generational star who changed the game of basketball, according to many. However, for Smith, Curry ruined the game. 

Read more: “He’s My GOAT”: Kevin Garnett Takes 360-Degree Approach When Choosing Between Michael Jordan and LeBron James

Nikola Jokic is a top 3 center in the league right now. But Smith believes the Serbian doesn’t have a dominant postgame. Despite the tight competition for the MVP race last year, Smith went on to choose Kyrie Irving as the leading candidate, who had just joined the Mavericks.

Watch this story: “After Russell Westbrook, Kawhi Leonard is ready for a major sacrifice for James Harden”

Well, we could go all day with these! Perkins believes KG can bring the right side of Smith. But do you think Smith will change his opinions? Share your take in the comments below.