The MVP debates are getting increasingly divisive as the season slowly nears a conclusion. While there are valid reasons for some of these debates, NBA fans probably didn’t expect so many hot takes in such a short span of time. Some of these recent MVP takes have not been received well in NBA circles, with NBA legends like Charles Barkley calling them out publicly. However, it seems like Chuck isn’t done yet, as he moved on to another level of trolling while calling out Kendrick Perkins for his recent ‘racial bias’ comments.
Former NBA star turned analyst Kendrick Perkins has been criticized by many after his recent comments on the NBA MVP selection criteria. While former Dallas Mavericks star JJ Redick called him out during the show, Barkley has been seemingly having fun with the controversial topic on air.
Charles Barkley trolls Kendrick Perkins while using Shaquille O’Neal as bait
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The Philadelphia 76ers legend has been very vocal about his displeasure with Kendrick Perkins’ comments on the MVP selection committee. Perkins recently mentioned on ESPN’s First Take how “80% of the MVP voters“ were white, implying that the voters have a racial bias toward the two-time MVP winner Nikola Jokic.
Kendrick Perkins of ESPN claims Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets has been the two-time NBA MVP because of his race
"When it comes to MVP voting: 80% of the voters are White American. 20% are others" pic.twitter.com/2yPbnRWMiA
— Eric Abbenante (@EricAbbenante) March 7, 2023
It was a statement that wasn’t appreciated by many and Barkley was one of the first to vocally shut down such thoughts. In a radio show, Barkley criticized Perkins for having the “ESPN disease“. According to Chuck, people infected with the ‘disease’ show symptoms of saying something provocative to justify their appearance on the popular network.
However, it seems like Chuck isn’t done yet, as on a recent episode of NBA on TNT the 76ers legend trolled Perkins while using Shaquille O’Neal as bait. When Shaq mentioned that his choice of MVP for the season was Giannis Antetokounmpo, the 76ers legend seized the golden opportunity to troll Perkins.
“You always vote for him ‘cause he’s black,” joked Barkley. Although this is a sensitive topic for many, Barkley decided to use banter to point out the ridiculousness of Perkin’s remarks.
However, it doesn’t seem like Chuck needs to point out anything for anyone as many have already raised their voices against the matter, especially ESPN.
The aftermath of Perkins’ controversial statement
During his controversial rant, the NBA analyst Perkins mentioned some things that were untrue, according to ESPN. Just a day later, the popular sports broadcaster clarified that their panel for the MVP voters was much more “diverse“ than what was portrayed by their analyst.
ESPN had to apologize because Kendrick Perkins falsely said on air 80% of NBA MVP voters are white. The fake MVP racism argument continues to blow up on ESPN’s face: pic.twitter.com/ebF2Jtcugt
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) March 8, 2023
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Additionally, his Twitter was bombarded with reactions that clearly disagreed with his words. However, Perkins decided to not back down from his statement as he tweeted how he was called a “c**n” last year, but a “racist” this year, implying that the people criticizing him are hypocrites.?
What do you think about these conversations? Please let us know in the comments below.
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