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Kendrick Perkins defends his joke about Nikola Jokic

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated May 17, 2025 1:42 PM ET

Kendrick Perkins is defending himself after a joke he made about defending Nikola Jokic was taken too seriously.

During ESPN’s pregame show prior to Friday’s Celtics-Knicks game, the network promoted Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets. Malika Andrews said Perkins “wouldn’t have wanted to face Jokic in Game 7 in an elimination game,” prompting Perkins to respond otherwise.

“Jokic wouldn’t have wanted this smoke. Kobe said I was the best post defender in the league,” Perkins said.

Perkins sounded pretty serious, and many people took him seriously, prompting a lot of jokes at Perkins’ expense. On X, however, Perkins said he was “joking around with Bob (Myers) and Malika,” and questioned why people were taking him seriously.

Jesus Christ. I was joking around with Bob and Malika people. https://t.co/oaKp3kcvrk
— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) May 17, 2025

Perkins, of course, has made some questionable and controversial assertions before. It is easy to understand why some might have taken him seriously, especially since it did not necessarily sound like his comment was meant to be taken in jest.

Jokic struggled mightily early in the series against Oklahoma City, but turned things around in Games 5 and 6. Perkins would definitely not want to face him, whether he is joking about it or not.

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

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