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Kendrick Perkins slams Anthony Davis for being out of shape

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Darryn Albert | Last updated Oct 3, 2025 9:23 PM ET

Kendrick Perkins is calling out another NBA star for being overweight.

The ESPN analyst Perkins went viral this week over his critical comments about Dallas Mavericks star Anthony Davis. During an appearance on “NBA Today,” Perkins said that he was “disappointed” in Davis for showing up to training camp out of shape.

“One, because you have a rookie in Cooper Flagg who is your number one pick that’s coming in, and what kind of example is that to show him?” said Perkins. “Two, you are in a tough Western Conference that’s loaded. Three, you was traded for an international superstar [Luka Doncic], and you are that guy on this team right now. You need to come into camp in shape.

“I’m very disappointed, or a little disappointed, in Anthony Davis,” Perkins added. “Because I thought he would come in and be on a mission this upcoming season.”

"I'm very disappointed or a little disappointed in Anthony Davis because I thought he would come in and be on a mission."@KendrickPerkins weighs in on Anthony Davis and his fitness coming into training camp pic.twitter.com/NRTlOCcjI4
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) October 2, 2025

Davis, who was listed at 253 pounds last season, surprised many to start training camp when the Mavericks listed him at 268 pounds on their official roster. An image of Davis looking hefty also made the rounds on social media this week.

The 10-time All-Star Davis subsequently addressed the concerns during a scrum with reporters. He said he could drop weight “very quickly” and effectively stated that he would be playing himself into shape during the season.

Anthony Davis on his weight going into camp:

“I feel good….I'm usually like 255, 258. I never want to come in at my playing weight because then I lose weight during the season and then I'm too small. I lose about 10 to 12 pounds very quickly.” #MFFL pic.twitter.com/oxDtjqqv84
— DLLS Mavs (@DLLS_Mavs) October 2, 2025

As for Perkins, he also called out New York Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns over his weight earlier this offseason. Between the Towns comments and the Davis comments, many would consider it quite ironic coming from Perkins, who struggled with his weight during both his playing and his post-playing career. But Perkins recently revealed that he himself has been on a health kick ever since ballooning to an absurd weight.

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

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