Getty Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant against Knicks
The Brooklyn Nets’ Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and Wilson Chandler have documented beef with retired NBA player turned ESPN TV analyst, Kendrick Perkins.
Appearing on today’s episode of the Scoop B Radio Podcast, I asked Perkins about his beef with Kevin Durant and whether he’d like to clear the air with Durant and Irving.
Perkins also shared with me that he actually patched things up with Wilson Chandler.
Check out notes from our dialogue below:
Kendrick Perkins on Kevin Durant:
“I mean listen. One thing about it is, I’ve been the same person that I’ve been in the league. I’ve been outspoken, I’ve been a leader; I’ve been the same guy that you see on TV, I’ve been the same person that I’ve been in the NBA. So, at the end of the day guess what? If KD chooses not to be my friend, that’s on him. Because every other person that I befriended in the NBA, I’m still cool with to this day. I can still pick up the phone and call them.”
Kendrick Perkins on if there could be conference call with the three of them [KD, Kyrie and Perkins]:
“Listen. I haven’t changed my number in 15 years brother. I’ve been having the same number. Like last night, I’ll give you a prime example – Wilson Chandler said something towards my way on Twitter. I didn’t get into a Twitter beef with him. What it did was I DM’d him, and I gave him my telephone number. And I told him, “Ay man, we talk this out like real men.” He called me, we did. And guess what? I understood where he was coming from, he understood where I was coming from and we hung up the conversation in good grace. Straight up, just like that. Listen, one thing about me is, I ain’t duckin’ no phone conversations, I’m not duckin’ anything about it. But people DO have to realize is that, I have a job. I work at ESPN, right? And I don’t come up with the topics. The topics are brought up to me. And I have to answer those topics to the best of my knowledge, and that’s what I do. You know what I’m sayin’? That’s what I do. Now was my bird statement a little out of character? Yes it was; and guess what? I apologized to Kyrie Irving for that. Do I agree with him sayin’ that we all need to hold out? No I don’t. I don’t agree with that because I need to know a plan behind it, you see what I’m sayin’? That’s all.”