Kendrick Perkins is an outspoken personality, one of the many larger-than-life characters that cover basketball on television. And unlike a few other media members, Perkins knows what it’s like to actually play in the NBA, having been part of the league for 13 years. Big Perk played on contending teams as well, winning a championship with the Boston Celtics and playing alongside Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
His former teammate Russell Westbrook is in the middle of a larger conversation about what it’s okay for fans to say to players in the arena as well as online. Westbrook recently revealed that he no longer brings his family to Lakers games because of the constant criticism and hate he receives. He has also mentioned that derogatory nicknames that make fun of his poor shooting could have an impact on how his children are treated at school.
Addressing the issue, Perkins shared a personal story of his own while talking on ESPN. He explained that this experience is part and parcel of being an NBA player, something that his children had to go through as well on account of his career as a famous athlete.
“I actually have a 14-year-old and 10-year-old that were there and had to go to school while I was in Oklahoma City and get bashed. And my kids used to come home and say, ‘Dad, my friend was like, ‘You Kendrick Perkins son? Your dad sucks’. But it’s those uncomfortable conversations that you have to deal with. Again, this is what you signed up for.”
It’s a difficult topic to come to a conclusion on, fans can sometimes go overboard, but also being scrutinized as a public figure is also something that comes with the territory. While people making fun of Westbrook isn’t something that will necessarily stop soon, if he can find some form on the court, that will surely alleviate some of the continuous criticism he receives and his family has to hear about.
