The highly anticipated ESPN-TNT crossover show will take place when the NBA Cup heads to Las Vegas. And it seems that the high-stakes semi-finals and championship matchups won’t be the only competition raging. Apparently, the two studios could participate in a basketball face-off of their own.
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The Inside the NBA crew recently traded ideas for a friendly contest, which ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins responded to on Wednesday. “Charles, there’s no more beef, there’s no more tension, but if the competition is there, I ain’t backing down.” Perkins replied on NBA Today.
The idea for the challenge originated from Stephen A. Smith, who confronted the TNT crew about a free-throw competition. Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley seemed excited about the idea, but Shaquille O’Neal was quick to rebuff. Instead, Shaq protested for a four-on-four pickup game, with members from the two media supergiants competing.
The Diesel listed several former players-turned ESPN cast members as possible opponents. That included Matt Barnes, Stephen Jackson, and Perkins. Barkley was quick to name Perkins, the 2008 NBA Champion, as his defensive assignment in this hypothetical matchup. That may have ignited a friendly squabble between the two retired big men.
However, when the 40-year-old was made aware of the Big Fella’s challenge, Perkins wasn’t too excited by the idea of exerting himself. Big Perk was not keen on a full-on basketball game, citing his lifestyle and distaste for running.
“My playing days are over, and I’ve changed my life. But I’m never backing down from a competition, I don’t need to be in the ice tub after the Cup,” Perkins said.
Kendrick retired from the league following the 2018-19 season. And the ESPN co-host hasn’t been shy about revealing how much his physical prowess has declined in recent years. However, Perk still couldn’t resist the idea of taking on Barkley.
The former big man responded with his own contest for the 1993 MVP. “What I will challenge Charles Barkley to is a three-point shootout,” Perkins said. “That’s what we can do, we don’t need much to do that, let’s make it happen.”
Perkins, undoubtedly, came up with the idea to avoid any extraneous effort. And the thought of two retired big men, both of whom rarely took their range beyond the arc, is quite an amusing one. Barkley sank just 26.6% of his long balls during his Hall of Fame career, while Perkins went 14 seasons without even an attempt.
