Former NBA champion Kendrick Perkins has got to be one of the most unfiltered analysts in the NBA. If he’s thought of something, it’s coming out of his mouth, with little to no filter. Now, as an internet/TV personality, that results in views. It sells, which is why Perk has had more than his fair share of ‘really out there’ opinions on air. But when he was an active player, things were not as easy.
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His antics on the court are legendary. He once punched Jae Crowder in the middle of the floor with every camera pointed at him. To his credit, it’s allowed him to stand up to legends like Shaquille O’Neal, who thrived on intimidating his opponents.
But when that rage goes unchecked, unchanneled, it can cause some serious damage, and more often than not, that leads to facing legal consequences. This is where Perkins thanks his gods; he had the support of OKC Thunder manager Sam Presti.
“I got into trouble outside of a nightclub during my 10-year class reunion in Houston. I got into fights. So, we go to Turkey for training camp. And when I get up, when we landed back in the States, the security guy named Flash, he comes up to me like, ‘Hey look, before you get off the plane, you got a warrant out for your arrest,'” Perkins revealed.
The former OKC Thunder star couldn’t believe what he was hearing at first, but then it really hit him.
“We go through the whole thing, we go to court, case gets dismissed or whatever, I was like top-3 in the league in technical fouls. At this point, Sam [Presti] thinks I have got a real problem,” the former NBA champion continued, explaining that it was evident to the manager that there was a pattern to these incidents.
“He comes to me after the season, he says, ‘You know, I care about you, right?’ I said, yeah. He said, ‘Well, I need you to do something for me … Starting in the middle of June, all the way up to the first week September, I need you from 8 to 5, every Monday through Friday, to be in Kansas City, at this anger management place.'” Perk added.
Perkins, at first, thought he really didn’t need to do anything like that, but then Presti made it a point to let him know that this wasn’t much of an option for him at this point. As Perkins says it himself, Presti had had it with his behavior.
So Perkins went in, and it was the best thing that ever happened to him. He learnt to control myself.
“It helped me out in so many ways and I remember when I came back, I walked into Sam’s office and started crying … It was at that point he told me, ‘Man, that was a test, because if you would’t have done it, I would have traded your a** and I didn’t really want to, and you did it and that showed me that you are committed and you really care about how I feel about you,'” he said.
That was a close call for Perk, who came out for the better. Not only did this allow him to have a few more seasons in the league, but the lessons surely still help him on his television career.
