During an appearance on ESPN’s First Take on Monday, Kendrick Perkins said that the Los Angeles Lakers tried to hire him as an assistant coach this season.
“Who offered me a coaching job this season? The Lakers!” Perkins said when discussing the firing of Lakers head coach Frank Vogel.
“The Lakers offered me an assistant coaching job. You know why? Because they wanted me to come in and be that guy that could have Frank Vogel’s back but be respected by the guys in the locker room so that he could hold them accountable. Like Udonis Haslem is doing somewhat on the Miami team.”
Granted, Perkins has no coaching experience, as the former NBA role player became an on-air analyst for ESPN shortly after his 2018 retirement. However, Perkins does have plenty of experience juggling multiple superstar personalities.
Over the course of his 14-year NBA career, Perkins was teammates with Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Rajon Rondo in Boston; Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden in Oklahoma City; and LeBron James himself during a quick stint in Cleveland.
Even so, NBA fans can’t help but chuckle at the idea of Perkins on the sideline in a coaching role. Scroll down to see how NBA Twitter is reacting to Perk’s claim.
