Last week’s layoffs have left ESPN in a difficult position, forced to address vacancies left by Jalen Rose and Jeff Van Gundy, among other recent departures.
According to Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports, Kendrick Perkins has emerged as a “strong contender” to replace Rose on NBA Countdown, assuming the network promotes from within. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald shared a similar perspective, naming Perkins as one of several names ESPN will consider. Other candidates include J.J. Redick (who is also in the running to replace Van Gundy), Richard Jefferson and Chiney Ogwumike.
A former NBA champion with the Boston Celtics, Perkins has quickly become a fixture on shows like Get Up, First Take and NBA Today, seen by many in the media as a rising star with limitless potential. Perkins’ willingness to push the envelope with unfiltered analysis could position him as ESPN’s answer to Charles Barkley, an outspoken voice opining on everything from Joel Embiid’s MVP candidacy to his fraught relationship with Warriors antagonist Draymond Green.
The 38-year-old’s brashness has made him somewhat of a polarizing presence, though his contrarian views combined with a unique delivery hit the viral sweet spot sorely missing from Countdown, a program that, in recent years, has existed as a glorified infomercial. If nothing else, Perkins would bring energy and enthusiasm to a starched panel of talking heads in desperate need of a fresh face.
About Jesse Pantuosco
Jesse Pantuosco joined Awful Announcing as a contributing writer in May 2023. He’s also written for Audacy and NBC Sports. A graduate of Syracuse’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications with a master’s degree in creative writing from Fairfield University, Pantuosco has won three Fantasy Sports Writers Association Awards. He lives in West Hartford, Connecticut and never misses a Red Sox, Celtics or Patriots game.