“Anthony Davis came under social media pressure to play Game 6”: Kendrick Perkins neatly takes blame off Stephen A Smith’s shoulders and places it on NBA fans for AD’s Game 6 groin injury misadventures

Kendrick Perkins believes Anthony Davis was pressurized by fans and trolls to play in Game 6 against the Phoenix Suns. 

While 2020 might have been the year where the L. A Lakers led by LeBron James went on to grab the NBA championship against the Miami heat, this year has been quite the opposite.

With Anthony Davis being hurt and LeBron James suffering from an ankle sprain, the Lakers were eliminated in the very first round of the playoffs in Game 6 against the Phoenix Suns.  

Also Read:  “LeBron James, if you’re the G.O.A.T, you’ve got to prove it in games like this!”

Anthony Davis suffered a groin injury at the end of Game 4 of the series, leaving the 36-year-old LeBron James looking like a deer caught in the headlights.

In what is now documented as the most humiliating defeat for the Lakers franchise, the defending champions ended the first half of Game 5 with a shocking deficit of 30 points. 

While the consequences of Anthony Davis’ absence were very clear, most medical advisors will concur that a groin injury cannot be dealt away within a matter of days.

However, to everyone’s disbelief, Anthony Davis was a part of the starting lineup against the Suns last night even if he only managed to stay on the court for a mere 5 mins, eventually limping his way back to the locker room. 

“That’s the problem we have today that they didn’t have back then, social media”: Kendrick Perkins  

ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins claims that Anthony Davis should have never stepped on the court for Game 6 risking further injury and Damage.  

“We’re talking about a guy who just won his first championship last year, what the hell do you have to go out there and prove to the world playing hurt? ”   

Big Perk then went on to call out Charles Barkley for referring to Davis as “street clothes” and being critical of his injury-plagued year. Perkins made it a point to mention the fact that today’s NBA players are under a very different kind of pressure.

The advent of social media is an inseparable part of everyone’s lives and can adversely affect the actions and decisions of all human being including the present-day athlete. 

AD played for all the wrong reasons last night, but I don’t blame HIM! The Barkley’s of the world and fans trolls about his health get the blame. He’s an MVP/DPOY talent that just hit his prime. This early exit will let him heal up and be ready for next year! Carry the hell on… pic.twitter.com/5tb4dMsUrM

— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) June 4, 2021

Also Read: “For Anthony Davis to always be hurt, he’s doing something wrong “

Maybe the Lakers’ unexpected elimination isn’t all that bad. The early exit will give Davis enough time to recover and make pivotal changes to ensure he stays injury-free.

As for the adverse effects of social media, one cannot help but hope that Athletes all across the board can learn to tune out all the noise and focus on what’s best for their team and their careers.