Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Kendrick Perkins Calls Out Kevin Durant’s ‘Drunken Contradiction’ in NBA Debate

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Dean Koutouratsas | Last updated Jul 3, 2025 12:37 PM ET

Houston Rockets All-Star forward Kevin Durant made an interesting statement about shorter NBA guards, which received a critical reaction from one of his former teammates.

Durant, 36, was a special guest during a recent episode of the “Mind the Game” podcast hosted by Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James and former two-time regular season MVP Steve Nash. Durant said during the discussion that he thinks guards shorter than 6-foot-2 can’t be “considered a starter” since many younger guards are much taller at 6-foot-4 and above, which helps them score more easily.

“You can’t get picked on defense, that's the thing,” Durant added. “We are playing such a pick-and-roll game now that if you can’t guard, people will bring you up every time.”

Durant noted he can’t see a short guard becoming a starter unless they are a tough defender like Jrue Holiday or a prolific scorer like Kyrie Irving. However, his belief received a striking response from ESPN commentator Kendrick Perkins, who believed Durant only made the claim because he had been drinking wine poured by James throughout the episode.

“Well, it was drunken contradiction and all over the place in that clip because he brought up Luguentz Dort is 6-foot-6 or 6-foot-7,” Perkins said during a recent episode of the “Road Trippin’” podcast with co-hosts Richard Jefferson, Channing Frye and Allie Clifton.

However, one thing to note about Perkins' remarks is that Dort is 6-foot-4, which Frye mentioned. “He brought them up, but at the same time, he was seeing guys like T.J. McConnell, and if the Pacers won, we could have possibly been talking about him being a finals MVP,” Perkins continued.

He also noted that smaller guards such as Jalen Brunson (New York Knicks) and Fred VanVleet (Rockets) have found success at smaller heights than others throughout their careers.

“Little guards aren’t the only people that get picked on,” Perkins added. “We watched Karl Anthony-Towns, who is nowhere near 6-foot and is actually 7-foot-1, get picked on.”

Perkins argued with Jefferson and Frye that “getting picked out” has nothing to do with height and occurs because some players understand how to exploit mismatches well.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: