It has been a wild week in the NBA for most superstars. Even Kevin Durant was caught in the crosshairs as the Suns nearly sent him to the Bay Area for the second time in his career. But amid the constant threat of being traded, KD did not shy away from his usual habit of trolling his critics on the internet. And this time, the target was his former teammate turned analyst, Kendrick Perkins, reigniting their age-old feud.

Well, it was Big Perk who initially stirred the pot by blaming Durant for the Suns’ failure in recent years, “Another organization another failure for Kevin Durant.” Of course, he was referring to Durant struggling to find any playoff success since leaving the Warriors six years ago. Even in Phoenix, he has been unable to go past the second round. And Perkins blamed KD’s inability to lead as part of the problem.

Moreover, the analyst questioned Durant’s leadership by making a bold claim about their OKC days as teammates, “It doesn’t mean your best player is your leader. When I was with the Thunder, it wasn’t KD, it wasn’t Russ, it wasn’t James, I was the one leading.” Yes, Perkins claimed that contrary to popular belief, he was the leader of the OKC Thunder over Durant, Westbrook, and Harden. All former MVPs.

Obviously, the statement is difficult to digest because KD and Russ were always at the forefront as the faces of the franchise. They even led the team to the NBA Finals in 2012. Naturally, The Slim Reaper couldn’t let Perkins’ comments slide and called him out with a tweet, “I know this may be a reach but this comment is by far the craziest s— I’ve seen this week.”

Sure, KD and Perkins were once on good terms when they were teammates for five years. But there has been a lot of bad blood between them in recent years!

Kevin Durant and Kendrick Perkins’ beef is nothing new

Surprisingly, this is not the first time the former teammates are going at each other. Back in 2020, they had another ugly online spat about their time at OKC. Again, it was Perkins who questioned Durant’s ability to lead, saying, “KD lost in the second round without Russ when I was there. So, what that mean?”

And Durant fired back by reminding Big Perk how he performed, “Yea and our starting Center Kendrick Perkins averaged a whopping 2 and 3 during that series. U played hard tho champ.” Sure enough, the situation escalated when the analyst called out Durant for joining the Warriors, deeming it the ‘Weakest Move in NBA history.’

If that sounds harsh, well, things have gotten even more heated in the past.

This feud stretches all the way back to the 2018 NBA Finals when Perkins—then with the Cavaliers—flipped off KD while he was mid-interview. According to USA Today, that one wasn’t even about lingering bad blood, just pure competitive frustration. Durant had just torched the Cavs with a 43-point, 13-rebound, seven-assist masterpiece that effectively ended Cleveland’s hope of a comeback in the Finals. As Durant recapped his heroics, Perkins, passing by on his way out of Quicken Loans Arena, couldn’t resist the urge to flash the middle finger at his ex-teammate.

Sure, they were close friends at one point, but this feels like more than friendly trash talk. Perkins blamed Durant for taking the “easy way out” by joining GSW, while Durant hit back by basically questioning Perk’s entire playing career. And let’s be real—by the time Perkins landed in Oklahoma City, he was past his prime.

His numbers and athleticism had taken a dive after tearing his ACL during the 2010 Finals, and his impact on the court wasn’t quite what the Thunder had hoped when they traded for him in 2011. But none of that seemed to matter when they were winning games together.

Fast forward to now, and Perkins hasn’t budged from his stance. He even doubled down by calling Durant a “coward.“ Yep, it’s safe to say this beef is way past the point of playful banter. And the situation can escalate once again, now that the former MVP has publicly responded to Perk’s comments.

Whose side are you on?