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[Saba Sports News] If Kendrick Perkins was looking to provoke Kevin Durant, he certainly got his wish.
The former NBA big man and current ESPN analyst went viral on Thursday for his latest outlandish claim. During a discussion on NBA Today about the Phoenix Suns—Durant’s current team—Perkins argued that the Suns lacked a vocal leader. He then went on to claim that he was the leader of the Oklahoma City Thunder during his tenure from 2011-15, not Durant, Russell Westbrook, or James Harden.
Durant wasted no time firing back. In a post on his X page, he bluntly dismissed Perkins’ leadership claim with a profane response.
“I know this may be a reach but this comment is by far the craziest s–t I’ve seen this week,” Durant wrote (profanity censored).
While Perkins was a veteran presence on those Thunder teams—having won a title with the Boston Celtics in 2008—his on-court role was limited.
Averaging just 4.2 points per game, he was often benched in crunch-time lineups in favor of Serge Ibaka at center.
Since joining ESPN in 2019, the 40-year-old Perkins has built a reputation for bold and often controversial takes. But Durant clearly isn’t buying this latest one, adding yet another chapter to their long-running public feud.