With the NBA Draft coming up soon, there is a lot of excitement about which players will be entering the league, and which teams will select them.
A big part of the entire draft process is the NBA Draft Combine, where the rookie prospects all gather to get measured with regards to their height, weight, and reach, and also participate in simple and complex drills so teams can understand what kind of players they are.
The Draft Combine is really a young man’s game, as most of the prospects entering the league are usually young players taking the next step in their careers. So how would a retired NBA veteran fare at a Draft Combine?
Kendrick Perkins and ESPN set out to answer this question, putting Richard Jefferson through the NBA’s Draft Combine drills. Jefferson, now at 41 years of age, put up a respectable effort, but struggled a lot, especially because of Perkins’ tough coaching.
Perkins was clearly having fun with his former teammate Jefferson, who is now his co-panelist on ESPN’s NBA Today.
The two have great chemistry, mostly because they are friends off the court and are willing to take friendly shots at each other for the sake of being entertaining. Perkins was a tough drill sergeant, which made for a hilarious combine run-through from Jefferson.
Jefferson actually had a pretty respectable selection in the NBA Draft in 2001, going 13th overall to the New Jersey Nets. Jefferson is considered one of the best players in the franchise’s history and was a big part of the Nets’ team that went to the NBA Finals twice in 2002 and 2003.
Jefferson would have to wait till 2016 to win an NBA championship, doing so as a veteran role player on the Cleveland Cavaliers, as they overturned a 3-1 deficit and won the NBA championship against the 73-9 Golden State Warriors.
