Stephen A. Smith, Kendrick Perkins and Udonis Haslem on First Take Photo credit: ESPN

One day after blasting LeBron James for always weaseling his way into the moment, Kendrick Perkins dropped a LeBron James hot take to steal the spotlight for himself.

Earlier this week on his Mind the Game podcast with co-host JJ Redick, James called Kyrie Irving the “most gifted player the NBA has ever seen.” While fawning over Irving, James expressed how much he misses playing with his former teammate.

Perkins ripped LeBron for attempting to interject himself into Irving’s moment ahead of the NBA Finals. And Friday morning on ESPN, First Take took advantage of LeBron James interjecting himself into the moment, by debating about his best running mate ever. The options seem obvious. Dwyane Wade or Kyrie Irving. Perkins, however, weaseled his way into the moment by arguing for Anthony Davis.


“When it comes down to Anthony Marshon Davis Jr, that is LeBron James’ best running mate of his career,” Perkins told Stephen A. Smith and Udonis Haslem on First Take. “There is no other player in my opinion that compliments him like Anthony Davis. When you think about that championship run, and yes it was a bubble run, look at the numbers they were putting up. It was a match made in heaven.”

“Anthony Davis, in my eyes, is one of the most skilled power forwards to ever play the game of basketball,” Perkins continued. “He should be in the MVP conversation every season. He should be in the Defensive Player of the Year conversation every season. That’s how great of a talent and how great of a player Anthony Davis is.”

But doesn’t that prove why Davis is not the best running mate of LeBron’s career? Davis should be in the MVP conversation every year, and he should be in the DPOY conversation every season, but he isn’t. If those talents aren’t being realized every year that he’s playing alongside LeBron, then how can he be LeBron’s best running mate ever?

As soon as Perkins finished hyping Davis as LeBron’s best teammate ever, Stephen A. Smith chimed in and labeled it his worst take ever.

“This Anthony Davis take,” Smith said. “I think it’s up there – if I put an A-list on your worst takes in your career here at ESPN…this might be your worst take ever.”

Anthony Davis isn’t the answer, but at least Perkins went with a future Hall-of-Famer and didn’t totally troll ESPN’s audience with an answer like Matthew Dellavedova or Booby Gibson.

[First Take]

About Brandon Contes

Brandon Contes is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He previously helped carve the sports vertical for Mediaite and spent more than three years with Barrett Sports Media. Send tips/comments/complaints to bcontes@thecomeback.com