“LeBron James is merely a basketball player, not a hooper”: Kendrick Perkins belittles the Lakers MVP’s skills by claiming Montrezl Harrell is a hooper

Kendrick Perkins calls out LeBron James for being a basketball player but not a hooper, unlike Montrzel Harrell who, according to him, is a hooper. 

By the way LeBron James plays, it’s easy to dismiss his skill and claim that he’s merely a 6’8 tank of a man, barreling through opposing defenders on his way to the cup. However, it’s clear upon watching an entire game that James has more skill than perhaps any other player that’s ever played in the NBA. 

His skill is limited to just one aspect of the game such as shooting, dribbling, or passing, rather, he’s great at all of these. Especially in the latter part of his career, LeBron James has found shots like the fadeaway, the step-back, and has been knocking down the 3 at a consistent clip.

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With all the skills that James has at his disposal, there’s no doubt that he’s a hooper. ‘Hooper’ is a term used for people who possess an immense amount of skill at playing basketball and in general, are bucket-getters. Kendrick Perkins must not know the meaning of this term considering the fact that he just used it to slander LeBron James. 

Kendrick Perkins calls LeBron James a basketball player and Montrezl Harrell a hooper. 

According to Clipper beat writer, Tom Azarly, Kendrick Perkins took to Spaces to talk about LeBron James. There’s no surprise here but one particular statement continues to perplex fans and media members alike. “Montrezl Harrell is a hooper and LeBron James is a basketball player, not a hooper,” said Perkins.

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Now, being relegated to a ‘basketball player’ simply implies that you are just some ordinary player and this is true when used with the word ‘hooper’. Hoopers are usually considered to be better than basketball players and calling Montrezl Harrell a hooper and not James does not make any sense. 

Some believe that the term ‘hooper’ relates to naturally gifted athletes and ‘basketball player’ is used for people who continue to perfect their craft over time. Even with these definitions, LeBron James is both of those things as he is most definitely naturally gifted and has also perfected his craft over the 18 years he’s spent in the league. 

In conclusion, this argument comparing Montrezl Harrell to perhaps the greatest of all time is asinine and should not exist in the first place.