After Kendrick Perkins this week accused Inside the NBA personalities Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal of not watching basketball enough to cover the league properly, the two responded on Tuesday night’s broadcast of the NBA Play-In Tournament.
Heading into commercial, TNT flashed a video from X of Blake Griffin dunking on Perkins to commemorate Griffin’s retirement with one of his signature highlight plays. Only rather than leave it at Griffin, the Inside hosts used the opportunity to dig at present-day Perkins as well.
“We don’t watch the Knicks games, Chuck, but I watched that game,” O’Neal laughed.
Barkley equated O’Neal giving Perkins the time of day with “killing roaches.”
“I ain’t going to even give no love to a guy who averaged five points per game,” Barkley added. “Five points a game gon’ call me out?”
Perkins averaged 5.4 points per game during his 13-year NBA career.
Shaq & Chuck respond to Kendrick Perkins who said their Knicks takes show "they obviously don't watch basketball":
TNT shows Perk getting dunked on
Shaq:"We don't watch Knicks games…but I watched that game"
Chuck:"…out here killing roaches…5 points a game gone call me out?" pic.twitter.com/5PNWHS5VS2
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) April 17, 2024
The accusation from Perkins came this week on The Michael Kay Show after Kay asked Perkins why O’Neal and Barkley doubted Jalen Brunson and Co. so deeply. Throughout the season, Inside the NBA has consistently trashed New York’s playoff chances. Perkins responded that the two veteran NBA big men must simply not watch the Knicks (or maybe the NBA) enough.
Never the types to let these slights go, O’Neal and Barkley were in vintage form simultaneously dismissing Perkins and shredding him.
But the whole Inside the NBA crew deserves some credit going to bat for their guys. The producers clearly teed up that highlight to bring Perkins up in the studio, while anchor Ernie Johnson probed the guys by asking if they had watched that Clippers-Thunder game from a decade ago.
You come at the kings, you best not miss.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.