Stephen A. Smith throws major shade at Kendrick Perkins over Get Up sartorial choice

While he was thrilled to see Kendrick Perkins on ESPN’s Get Up, First Take’s Stephen A. Smith did not approve of his outfit choice.

Smith took to X, formerly Twitter, to praise the Get Up crew — at least everyone except for Perkins. He questioned why he wasn’t wearing a tie.

“This is an incredibly proud moment to watch on [Get Up] this morning,” said Smith. “To see [Vince Goodwill] and [Jay Williams] dressed so impeccably brings a tear to my eyes. I would say the same about [Kendrick Perkins] — but where the hell is the tie? Finally [Mike Greenberg], they’ve come dressed to impress. Again, so proud! So proud.”

At least it sounds like Smith enjoyed the show, even if Perkins’ outfit wasn’t up to snuff. Expect Perkins to wear a tie next time he shares the screen with Smith.

Perkins is an analyst for ESPN after playing in the NBA for over a decade. He won an NBA Championship early in his career while with the Boston Celtics.

He appears on various ESPN programs, including NBA Today, Get Up, SportsCenter, and, of course, First Take. Perkins has also worked for NBC Sports Boston.

Smith, meanwhile, is one of the leading faces of ESPN. Not only is he one of the main stars of First Take, but he also hosts The Stephen A. Smith Show.

His time with ESPN began in 2005 when he began hosting Quite Frankly. The show was later canceled, and he left the network in 2009.

He would later return in 2012, joining First Take on a full-time basis. Smith would go head-to-head with Skip Bayless for years. While Bayless has since left ESPN, Smith has continued to become one of the biggest stars there.

Like him or not, Smith is one of the faces of ESPN, and he’s not going anywhere. Smith signed a five-year contract extension in 2025.