Kendrick Perkins Names the NBA's 'Michael Jackson'

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Mintu Tomar | Last updated Mar 15, 2026 1:57 PM ET

It's been over 500 days since Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored less than 20 points in a regular season game, according to NBA's post just hours before Oklahoma City Thunder's battle against the Minnesota Timberwolves Sunday afternoon. Thunder's point guard has become the definition of consistency for past few seasons and the ongoing one is no different.

On Thursday, the reigning MVP went past former NBA legend Wilt Chamberlain to register most consecutive 20-point games in the league's history. Chamberlain managed to do it for 126 straight games between October 1961 and January 1963.

Against the Boston Celtics on Thursday, Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points to take his tally to 127 consecutive games in which he's posted 20 points or more. Such consistency can truly be described as rare. But ESPN analyst, and former Thunder player himself, Kendrick Perkins had an even better way of showering praise on the guard.

During a pregame show Sunday, Perkins hailed Gilgeous-Alexander by drawing parallels with none other than the 'King of Pop', Michael Jackson.

"He is the Michael Jackson of basketball. He's an artist and every album that he puts out every single year goes diamond", the ESPN analyst said.

Perk on SGA:

"He is the Michael Jackson of basketball. He's an artist and every album that he puts out every single year goes diamond" pic.twitter.com/qwMkvkXTv6
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) March 15, 2026

Well that's one way to put it and Gilgeous-Alexander truly deserves such a special compliment. His game has spoken for itself throughout the 2025-26 regular season.

Apart from the fact that he's not scored less than 20 points per game so far, he's averaging 31.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 6.6 assists with a 55.4% field goal accuracy. It also happens to be the highest in an NBA season ever, according to ESPN.

With the help of jersey No.2's consistency on the hardwood, his team has won seven consecutive games before facing the Timberwolves Sunday. They would like to extend this streak to eight moving forward.

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

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