Recently, Kendrick Perkins claimed that 80% of NBA MVP voters are white. According to him, that was the reason that led to Nikola Jokic winning multiple awards. It stirred a lot of controversies. But ESPN decided to publicly deal with the matter. JJ Redick also slammed Perkins on his statement during the discussion.
Last week, Perkins made these claims. He also talked about how since 1990 only 3 players have won the MVP award. And these players were not even in the top 10 in points per game. The three players who have won till now are Jokic, Dirk, and Steve Nash. After these arguments, he commented that most of the NBA MVP voters are white.
In a famous sports debate program, co-host Molly Qerim called Perkins’ statement fictitious. He said,
“I want to correct something here from yesterday’s show. When Kendrick Perkins said 80% of NBA voters for the MVP award are white, the NBA publicly announces the voters each year, and after review, it is clear the panel is much more diverse than what was portrayed by Kendrick Perkins and we wanted to make sure we corrected that today.”
Stephen A. Smith was also present there and he added, “What do those guys have in common? I’ll let it sit there and marinate. You think about it.”
What did JJ Redick say about Perkins?
JJ Redick strongly criticized Perkins’ remarks suggesting that in this show people create factual narratives. He called out Perkins’ on accusing NBA of racism:
“Stephen A. (Smith), I mean no offense to you. And I mean no offense to ‘First Take’ because I think this show is extremely valuable. It is an honor to be on this desk every day. It really is. But what we just witnessed is the problem with this show. Where we create narratives that do not exist in reality. The implication that you are implying – that the White voters that vote on NBA (awards) are racist, that they favor White people. You just said that.”
“That’s exactly what you implied Kendrick Perkins,” he added.
Perkins replied to his comments saying that he didn’t call the NBA racist and that he was just stating the “facts”.
He also added that he is grateful for Redick to engage in the discussion although it wasn’t any necessary conversation.
Perkin further elaborated that his viewpoint had been shaped by the experiences of numerous African American former players who have harbored similar sentiments for several decades.
What did Charles Barkley say about the matter?
Charles Barkley didn’t hold back and also made his remarks about the matter. He said, “Does he know how many voters are White actually or did he pull 80% out of his a–? My point is if only five White guys have won MVP in the last 30 years, that makes zero sense – his argument. Zero sense.”
In conclusion, JJ Redick’s passionate defense of his fellow NBA players and call for accountability from media personalities like Kendrick Perkins highlights the ongoing need for open and honest conversations about racial prejudice and bias in all aspects of our society.
Jokic is a great player and no doubt his remarkable talent has earned him the MVP award. Let’s see what the future awaits for Jokic and how true Perkins’ claims are.
