“Better Not See Kendrick Perkins”: Shaquille O’Neal Jokingly Takes a Dig at ESPN Analyst

While the Inside the NBA crew was on air to cover the Eastern Conference NBA Cup semi-final game between the Atlanta Hawks and the Milwaukee Bucks in Las Vegas, Shaquille O’Neal found a way to take shots at Kendrick Perkins.

During the show, host Ernie Johnson informed the panel that ABC would provide coverage for the other semifinal game. Before the media veteran could get through his announcement, Shaq jumped in to land a jab at Perkins.

He said, “I better not see Kendrick Perkins, I know that.”

ESPN’s studio was right next to that of TNT outside the T-Mobile Arena, so Shaq thought Perkins could hear him.

When the camera panned to Perkins’ crew, it seemed like they didn’t hear anything Shaq said. However, that didn’t stop the big fella from firing more shots. He said, “There’s gonna be some furniture moving if I see Kendrick Perkins.”

After Shaq’s hilarious ‘threats’ could not reach his target audience, he tried to pick a fight in his own camp.

https://twitter.com/NBAonTNT/status/1868090891052712368

“I’ll knock you’re a** right now, Chuck. Say I won’t,” Shaq said to Charles Barkley. To be fair, the Chuckster was poking the big fella for a while. Meanwhile, Kenny Smith placed a bet on the fight, keeping up with the customs of Vegas.

But Shaq then told him to wait till May 19^th for the contest to be on pay-per-view. Both NBA legends have had a history with Perkins and there have been instances where they’ve hurt him.

Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal once called Kendrick Perkins a “roach”

The TNT crew has a very different way of conducting business. They often do wild activities during segments and seem to have a lot more fun on set than any other show’s members. Earlier this year, they had a punching bag on set with Perkins’ face glued on it and Chuck and Shaq wore gloves to practice some shots.

When Barkley stepped up to practice some punches on the bag, he called Perkins a “roach.” Shaq joined him in the action too. This did not sit well with the former NBA star and during a conversation with Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson, he said, “A roach? That’s what y’all on? We kill roaches in Black neighborhoods. They’re everywhere.”

Shaq & Charles Barkley calling @KendrickPerkins a roach on National Television was a non negotiable for Perk.

Appearing on Scoop B Radio, he explained why:

“A roach? That’s what y’all on? We kill roaches in Black neighborhoods. They’re everywhere. From another Black man to… https://t.co/CHbhAuYzbR pic.twitter.com/jXxQpodFM6

— 👑 Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson (@ScoopB) June 10, 2024

“From another Black man to another Black man, you can’t never call nobody no roach. You might as well spit in my face. And I don’t have any beef with Charles or Shaq. My thing is the whole ‘roach’ thing. I don’t mind the punching bag, but the roach thing? C’mon man,” Perkins added.

Big Perk thought that the NBA legends crossed a line by calling him a roach. Hopefully, he will not take Shaq’s most recent jab the wrong way.