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“David Griffin’s comments are why old heads call this NBA era soft”: Kendrick Perkins slams Pelicans GM for defending Zion Williamson

Tonoy Sengupta
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“To be in the company of those legends is a huge honour for me”: Zion Williamson reveals his true feelings about being the 4th youngest All-Star behind Kobe, LeBron and Magic Johnson

Kendrick Perkins reacts incredibly controversially to David Griffin’s comments about referees not protecting Zion Williamson.

Zion Williamson as an absolute beast, there is no doubt about it. Since his very first game during his rookie season, he has bullied some of the best players in the game in the paint. However, while his style is incredible to watch, it does have its own consequences.

If you’re a player that’s unstoppable through legal means, players are going to foul you repeatedly. And worse, if you get those calls, you are only going to get fouled that much more, increasing the chances of a potential injury.

Recently, Williamson was revealed to have fractured the ring finger on his left hand. And when it happened, David Griffin went ballistic. The Vice President of Basketball Operations for the Pelicans criticized officials for their poor officiating when it came to Williamson, and how it encouraged other players to foul him more. He has since been fined for the statement.

The NBA community has been a bit divided on the matter. But it seems Kendrick Perkins very clear about his opinion on the subject. But unfortunately, it may be a slightly egregious one.

Also Read: Kendrick Perkins compares the Warriors’ superstar to Michael Jackson and calls him the greatest show on Earth

Kendrick Perkins slams David Griffin for his comments on Zion Williamson 

Dominant players from throughout the ages have had to face getting fouled almost all the time. Shaquille O’Neal and Michael Jordan especially are prime examples of that. When they were fouled by teams at a certain point in their career, they gained a sort of killer instinct and a lot more muscle before the next season.

Doing this helped them overcome the illegal obstacles that came their way. And that seems to be where Perk is coming from. On a recent episode of ESPN’s ‘First Take’, the former player had this to say on the topic. Take a listen.

Kendrick Perkins is partially correct here. Zion Williamson already has the body to dominate. Perhaps for him to take the next step, he needs to develop a killer instinct that punishes players for taking a swing at him.

However, David Griffin’s weren’t completely wrong either. Officiating in the NBA has been very controversial this season. Not only are technical fouls being dished out like Oprah giving cars, but an incredible number of fouls just aren’t being called.

So, for Zion Williamson, who essentially lives in the paint, he needs the officials to be more astute. And if they can’t do that, they could be the reason that Pelicans star one day suffers an injury that he can’t recover from.

Also Read: Warriors wing sends a strong reply to Bradley Beal’s wife Kamiah Adams-Beal by letting his game do the talking

About the author

Tonoy Sengupta

Tonoy Sengupta

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Tonoy Sengupta is a Senior Editor at The SportsRush. Coming from an athletically inclined family, he has been surrounded by sports ever since he was 4 years old. But, while initially pouring all his time into Football (soccer), at 14, Tonoy discovered basketball through the countless highlights of Stephen Curry humiliating players from Curry Land. And just like that, a fiery passion for the game was ignited within Tonoy. And soon after, he decided to become a student of journalism, graduating in 2022, and choosing sports as his area of interest. Today, you can find him spending 99% of his time browsing through every type of content on every team in the NBA, before uncorking everything he has found to the world. In the 1% he isn't doing this, you can find him playing Basketball, Football, Volleyball, or practically any other sport he has had the opportunity to learn.

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