Kendrick Perkins Faces Backlash for Take on Anthony Edwards' Personal Life Tuesday

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Nick Meyer | Last updated May 27, 2025 1:49 PM ET

The Minnesota Timberwolves fell behind three games to one in their Western Conference Finals series against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday, a frustrating development for fans of one of the most popular young teams in the NBA.

Timberwolves superstar guard Anthony Edwards was held to just 16 points and six assists in 41 minutes of game action, a less-than-stellar performance from the former Georgia Bulldogs star who many fans anointed as the next Michael Jordan in the sport of professional basketball.

On Tuesday, former NBA champion Kendrick Perkins took to his usual slot on ESPN to discuss Edwards in a way that hadn't been heard before, giving fans on X pause as they lashed out against the former Celtics and Thunder center.

Perkins said that Edwards does not check all of the usual boxes that come with being dubbed the 'face of the NBA,' as he is not a family man like those who came before him.

"You gotta check the boxes when you're the face of the league," Perkins said. "You gotta be a role model. Things outside the lines matter," he added, mentioning Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird as "family men" who were "married with kids."

"This is facts. This is not something that I'm making up," Perkins added.

Fans went off on Perkins in the comments as they reacted to his perspective.

"You gotta check the boxes when you’re the face of the league…Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Shaq, LeBron, Steph…they all were family men. They all were married with kids." - Kendrick Perkins on Anthony Edwards pic.twitter.com/U8zFUZaYX2
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 27, 2025