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In a segment on ESPN's "First Take," former NBA big man Kendrick Perkins revealed the pettiness of former Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan. As he explained on the show, Michael once cut off his supply of free Jordans after Perkins hailed LeBron James as the NBA GOAT.
"[Michael Jordan] is petty as hell too," Perkins said. "Now, if you go in my closet, it’s nothing but J’s. I keep J’s on my feet. I was signed to Jordan for about two years when I was playing. OK? I wore J’s throughout the course of a few years of my time in Oklahoma City. After that I used to get boxes in the mail all the time of the J’s before they even hit the stores. I started my media career. As soon as I said that LeBron James was the GOAT, those boxes stopped coming.”
While Perk never had a signature shoe deal, he did have a contract with Nike (Jordan) during his prime that allowed him to represent the brand on the court. After the contract expired, Michael used to send him complimentary boxes in the mail of the latest Jordans before they hit the market.
Suddenly, they stopped coming one day, and Perkins believes he knows the reason why. According to the former NBA big man, it has to do with his stance on the GOAT debate, which he conceded to LeBron years ago.
As the NBA's most popular superstar legend, Michael Jordan was known for his ruthless competitive spirit that helped him win six NBA championships. From 1991 to 1998, Michael dominated the league and cemented his legacy as the greatest player ever.
By the time he retired for the final time in 2003, Michael's resume was absolutely stacked as a 14-time All-Star, 10-time scoring leader and five-time MVP. For his career, he averaged 30.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game on 49.7% shooting.
Michael has been retired for over 20 years now, but he hasn't lost his competitive spirit. Jordan will disown just about anyone who dares to question his legacy, including former colleagues like Perkins, who called LeBron James the GOAT instead.
While MJ has not made any direct statements on the debate between him and LeBron, we already know where he stands. In Jordan's eyes, he'll always be the best, and his sheer dominance on the court has yet to be matched.
If there's any player who has challenged Jordan's status, it's LeBron James. As a four-time champion, four-time MVP and the NBA's all-time leading scorer, James' feats are impressive, but not everyone agrees on how they compare to legends like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant.
Regardless of your take on the GOAT debate, Jordan will not stand for one of his own trying to diminish his legacy. He's only going to look after those who stay loyal to his brand and hold firm in his place at the top of the hierarchy.
Somehow, Jordan never lost his competitive edge, and his desire to be the best continues to rage on today. In many ways, Jordan is as petty as they come, and we've seen many examples of the lengths he'll go to protect his legacy.
Kendrick Perkins blocked LeBron James' number
Unfortunately for Perkins, his declaration of LeBron as the GOAT has not earned him any favorability with the NBA superstar. In fact, Perkins admitted to having James blocked on his number after LeBron unfollowed him on social media.
“LeBron James needs to stop. He needs to stop," said Perkins on "First Take." "I’m so sick of him with this ‘Oh, how the league is covered’ because he wanted to be covered a certain way… LeBron unfollowed, so you know what I did? blocked him from my phone.”
LeBron recently went off on the NBA media for not having a proper understanding of the game. He ripped ex-players like Charles Barkley and Kendrick Perkins for their constant negativity and their surface-level coverage of the game.
So if there's one thing that LeBron James and Michael Jordan have in common, it's that they are both on bad terms with Kendrick Perkins. The big man turned analyst has made a lot of enemies since becoming a major face of television.
More must-reads:
- Giannis Antetokounmpo responds to LeBron James' egregious take on 1970s NBA
- NBA stars from the Jordan era you may have forgotten
- The 'Most double-doubles in the NBA's Three-Point Era' quiz
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Celtics Notes: Free Agent Wants to Sign With Boston, Jaylen Brown Disrespect, Signing Urged
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Knee operation: Kirby Dach not yet back on his feet
Two years ago to the day, Canadiens fans were optimistic about Kirby Dach’s future in Montreal: the 6’4 forward had just collected 38 points in 58 games – in his first campaign in Quebec – and many wondered whether Dach had a better chance of establishing himself as a first NHL center than captain Nick Suzuki. The past 730 days have proven otherwise, but that’s not the point this morning. Since joining the Canadiens, Dach has earned a reputation as a fragile player. Virus, shoulder, upper body (concussion?), lower body, knee(ACL and MCL), knee again… Let’s just say that injuries haven’t spared Dach since he arrived in Montreal. In fact, injuries haven’t spared Dach since he started playing hockey. He has never played more than 70 games in a single season, and has only broken the 60-game barrier three times in nine junior or pro seasons. Last February, Dach underwent a second operation on his right knee in the space of 18 months. Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes may tell us that Kirby Dach is fine,but we still have our doubts. Especially whenyou consider that, with the Canadiens’ recent additions and departures, Kirby Dach is still the team’s second center on the organizational chart. content-ads]Last week, I wondered where Kirby was ? We’ve seen plenty of Habs players skating at the CN Complex this summer, but not Kirby Dach. And I had to work like a monk to catch a glimpse of him in a video filmed at Nick Suzuki’s wedding! Yesterday, I was told that Kirby Dach was spending the summer in Edmonton with Kaiden Guhle – Dach is from Saskatchewan and Guhle is from Alberta – and that Dach was still in rehab. I repeat: five months after his most recent knee operation and some 40 days before the start of practice camp, Kirby Dach is still not recovered and ready to play. Good informants spotted him in an Edmonton gym doing squats with loads that look like the ones I used to take when I went to Econofitness, not the ones an NHL player uses [content-ads]This explains it: when he came to Montreal for his captain’s wedding, Kirby Dach couldn’t – or wouldn’t – skate with his teammates in Brossard. It’s worth noting that Dach is also very quiet on social networks – his last post was in November 2024 – probably in an effort to be forgotten… to go unnoticed. Spending the summer in Alberta, rather than in Montreal (with his chums at Osheaga), makes sense, when you think about it…Let’s just say that the chances of Dach starting his season at the same time as everyone else in two months’ time are pretty slim, which is cause for concern for those hoping to see the Canadiens in the playoffs in 2026. Yes, the Kirby Dach problem would be solved if a guy like Mason MacTavish-good offensively, defensively, physically and in the face-off circle-came to Montreal, but let’s just say that the odds of that happening this summer are very low. And you can’t make plans with very improbable things![spacer title=’Prolongation’]Matthew Tkachuk, who was injured last winter while throwing down the gloves at the 4 Nations tournament, underwent surgery last month (hernia and adductor). According to the latest information from Elliotte Friedman, Tkachuk could return to action just before the Olympic Games. Let’s hope Kirby Dach doesn’t have to wait as long as Tkachuk.
Surprising Marlins earn MLB first in sweep of Yankees
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Tracking the top surprises at Chicago Bears training camp
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