ESPN NBA Analyst Implies MVP Voters Are Racist

After ESPN NBA commentator Kendrick Perkins was harshly criticized for accusing Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic — who is white — of “stat-padding” In an effort to get a better average, he accused MVP voters of being racist in order for him to achieve a three-double.

Perkins is also available tweeted a video Jokic claimed that he won MVPs simply because he was black, but later deleted this statement. Jokic may become the fourth ever winner of the MVP award, joining Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell and Larry Bird.

“I’m watching Jokic pass the ball, and I’m watching his guys catch and shoot, no hesitation, good or bad shot, and let me tell you one thing: Conversations goes [sic] on in that locker room, and players know what their stats are,” Perkins had initially charged.

Perkins had initially made disparaging remarks about Jokic. J.J. Redick was a colleague NBA commentator and took Perkins to task. “I strongly disagree with this. Look, I’ve never been Nikola Jokic’s teammate. If you ask anyone that’s been around him … Nikola Jokic does not care about stats, does not care about averaging a triple-double. Nikola Jokic — I hate to tell everyone — doesn’t care about winning an MVP. He cares about winning a championship.”

“The idea that he’s stat-padding,” Redick went on, and then quoted Jokic’s coach Mike Malone. “This is how he described the game,” Redick spoke. “This is how he described Nikola Jokic’s game: ‘He doesn’t fight the game; he just makes the right play every time.’ He compared his basketball IQ to LeBron.”

“This is not a guy who cares about stat-padding, Perk,” Redick asserted. “And the best argument I can make as to why this is such a ludicrous statement: They’re 23-0 when he has a triple-double. Going back to last year they’ve won 28 games in a row when he has a triple-double.”

.@jj_redick Strongly disagree with @KendrickPerkins that Nikola Jokić is stat-padding 😳 pic.twitter.com/yYrP4IWM5S

— First Take (@FirstTake) February 28, 2023

Perkins then offered this in rebuttal: after noting that since 1990, only Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, and Jokic — all of whom are white — have won the MVP without finishing in the top 10 in scoring, Perkins raged, “What do those guys have in common? I’ll let it sit there and marinate. You think about it. When it comes down to moving the goalposts for certain individuals to win it, again, is it Oochie Wally? Or is it One Mic? What song are we actually dancing to right now, why is this subject not brought up?”

.@KendrickPerkins He responds to backlash @jj_redick for his Nikola Jokić comments 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/20R4K79SQP

— First Take (@FirstTake) March 1, 2023

Jokic, who is currently leading the Western Conference with a average triple-double, plays for the Nuggets. Russell Westbrook, the legendary Oscar Robertson are the only men to have averaged triple-doubles over an entire season.

“From ESPN NBA Analyst Implies MVP Voters Are Racist“

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