Ahead of the start of this past NBA season, Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla re-established an open-door policy when it comes to the franchise’s former players and coaches.
“I hope that any and every Celtic feels like they can come to any practice or any game and be a part of that,” Mazzulla told NBC Sports Boston at the time.
Well, maybe not every Celtic.
On the heels of Boston securing banner No. 18 with its series-clinching win over the Dallas Mavericks in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, Brian Scalabrine discussed the Celtics’ open-door policy. And in doing so, the former Boston forward revealed that at least one of his former teammates doesn’t seem to be as welcome around the Celtics facility as others are.
“It’s not really an open arms thing with Kendrick Perkins,” Scalabrine said on his SiriusXM show, The Starting Lineup, with Frank Isola.
Scalabrine even went so far as to state that the former Celtics center-turned-ESPN analyst has a “big scarlet letter” with the franchise.
— Quis (@Marquis_98) June 21, 2024
Originally acquired by Boston via a trade during the 2003 NBA Draft, Perkins spent the first eight seasons of his NBA career with the franchise, serving as the starting center on its championship-winning team in 2008. Following his playing career, the Beaumont, Texas, native has become one of ESPN’s highest profile NBA analysts, earning a reputation for his willingness to criticize teams, players and coaches, earning him an unfollow from LeBron James.
That has included the Celtics, with Perkins previously taking aim at star forward Jayson Tatum, who he said “looked scared as hell” during a game in 2022. More recently, the 14-year NBA veteran was critical of Mazzulla, who he referred to as a “birdbrain” in January — although it’s unclear whether that comment came before or after his apparent exile from the franchise.
Unsurprisingly, Perkins wasn’t among the former Celtics players to attend Friday’s championship parade. That, however, didn’t stop ESPN from having a presence at the event, with Jaylen Brown using his wardrobe to take a not-so-subtle shot at Perkins’ colleague, Stephen A. Smith.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.