Kendrick Perkins Claims He Stopped Receiving Shoes From Michael Jordan’s Brand After Calling LeBron James the GOAT

The media has always loved to pit Michael Jordan against LeBron James. Even when there is extraordinary basketball taking place around the NBA, the GOAT debate remains a prominent topic on sports programs. Kendrick Perkins shared how his take on the age-old debate ended up costing him.

LeBron James has gone viral recently after breaking his silence on several topics during his appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. The 40-year-old notably shared that he hopes Michael Jordan will be more responsive to him once he retires from the NBA. While he’s still playing, though, MJ wants nothing to do with LBJ, the four-time MVP revealed.

The pair of basketball greats clearly don’t have a great relationship right now. Perk says that since he has begun to favor LeBron, his ties with Jordan became strained. The former big man revealed that the Bulls legend can be just as petty as James was on McAfee’s podcast.

Perkins explained how he once had a sponsorship with Jordan Brand, but his takes throughout his post-playing career ended up burning more bridges than he expected.

“I was signed to Jordan for about two years when I was playing… I used to get boxes in the mail all the time of the J’s before they even hit the store. I started my media career. As soon as I said LeBron James was the GOAT, those boxes stopped coming,” Perkins said with a laugh.

The brand is clearly protective of its namesake and won’t tolerate anything that could be viewed as slander from its sponsored athletes. Perk’s mistake proves that athletes have to watch what they say when brands are paying them, even after their playing days are over.

Kendrick Perkins’ relationship with LeBron has also been strained

Perk’s comment that lost him his sponsorship wasn’t the thing the 40-year-old said about LeBron on First Take today. The 2008 NBA Champion shared that he no longer has the Lakers star’s phone number after he unfollowed him on social media.

“Kendrick Perkins says a negative word about LeBron James and LeBron James blocks Kendrick Perkins,” Stephen A. Smith spelled it out after acknowledging Perkins’ GOAT opinion. “Unfollowed me,” Perk cleared it up with a chuckle. “He unfollowed me, and then I blocked him on my cell phone.”

Perkins has usually been known to side with LeBron when the opportunity presents itself, but it’s clear a lot has changed in their relationship in recent years. The former center has been known to strain bonds with his other former teammates, including Kevin Durant, so it’s possible he’s just not great at keeping friends around.