Kendrick Perkins’ feud with Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal always seemed like playful banter, except for the roach comment.
Prior to the start of the NBA Playoffs, Barkley and Shaq were very dismissive of the New York Knicks, prompting Perkins to go on The Michael Kay Show and claim it’s “obvious” the popular NBA on TNT analysts “don’t watch basketball.” Barkley and Shaq responded by ribbing Perkins on Inside the NBA, calling him a “roach” and mocking his credentials.
The back and forth continued with Barkley and Shaq beating up a Kendrick Perkins punching bag. Perkins later returned to The Michael Kay Show to note he didn’t mind the banter, although he admitted to having a problem with them “calling out on my name as a roach.” Recently, Perkins joined Brandon Robinson’s Scoop B Radio and explained why he didn’t like being called a roach.
Shaq & Charles Barkley calling @KendrickPerkins a roach on National Television was a non negotiable for Perk.
Appearing on Scoop B Radio, he explained why:
“A roach? That’s what y’all on? We kill roaches in Black neighborhoods. They’re everywhere. From another Black man to… https://t.co/CHbhAuYzbR pic.twitter.com/jXxQpodFM6
— 👑 Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson (@ScoopB) June 10, 2024
“You gonna call me a roach? That’s the worst of the worst,” Perkins ranted. “Come on man, a roach? That’s what y’all on? We kill roaches! We kill roaches in Black neighborhoods. Roaches were everywhere. From another Black man to another Black man, you can’t never call nobody no roach. You might as well spit in my face!”
“And I don’t have no beef with Charles or Shaq. My thing is the whole ‘roach’ thing. I don’t mind the punching bag,” Perkins insisted. “But the roach? Damn, bro. C’mon man.”
This should effectively close the book on the back and forth between Perkins, Barkley, and Shaq. With Inside the NBA already enjoying their summer vacation, it’s highly unlikely that either one of them will respond, although Barkley isn’t hard to find considering the myriad of radio and podcast hits he continues to make. But even though the “roach” comment may have gone too far, there never seemed to be much vitriol in this media feud.
