Kendrick Perkins shares ‘one of the few times that I get pissed off at Shaq’ as Celtics teammate

Before they worked at rival networks covering the NBA, Shaquille O’Neal and Kendrick Perkins were briefly teammates on the Boston Celtics. Recently, Perkins told a story of something Shaq did in their time as teammates that upset him.

Perkins recalled that, going into the 2010-11 season, Von Wafer and Delonte West were fighting (literally in the case of West) for the final spot on the roster. So, after practice each day in training camp, the two would play 3-on-3s, something Perkins recalled the team paying close attention to, since they understood the stakes.

“During the workouts, we’re watching, because it’s that intense. We know that these two people, these two guys, are competing for the last spot,” Perkins recalled on the Road Trippin’ Podcast.

“D-West talking s***,” Perkins continued. “It’s elbows on the floor, like they’re getting into it. Von, he talking and he competing, but he ain’t on the level that D-West’s on. D-West’s on, ‘I’m about to die for this s*** or I’m gonna kill for the s***. So, Von ends up winning the game on the floor, right? That day. Von is sitting at his locker, in the locker room, he’s iced up. He’s iced up, towel on, chillin’. D-West comes in the locker room like, ‘Motherf***** what? Whatchu say on the floor?'”

Perkins then motioned that West punched Wafter. In the aftermath of that, his frustration with Shaq began.

“Von Wafer is leaking,” Perkins said. “This is one of the few times that I get pissed off at Shaq. Right? ‘Cause this is bullying at this point. You know when somebody wanna fight and you know when somebody don’t wanna fight. Von had no intentions on fighting or doing none of that. That man just wanted to compete, go home and let the chips fall where they may. Shaq in there, ‘Oh, s***. Oh, s***. Let’s take it in the bathroom. Take it in the shower. He gotta get his lick back.’ I’m like, ‘Man, sit your big ass down, man, instigating that s***.’

“Because I got pissed off because one, the man got both feet in the mop bucket,” Perkins continued. “You know how you used to ice in the mop bucket. Right? Both feet icing in the mop bucket. Bags of ice on his knees. He’s chillin’. D-West come up still off on the man. The man leaking, man. At this point, I feel bad. It’s one thing for a motherf***** to get ready to go to blows and you can tell both want smoke. He wanted no action. So it was just bullying at that point. You know what I’m saying? It was a real thing and I’m just heated and he’s just like, ‘Take it in the shower.’ I’m like, ‘Nah, man. Don’t take it in the shower, man. Break that s*** up. That man don’t want to f****** fight.”