Kendrick Perkins has finally addressed the viral confrontation that broke out during one of his AAU basketball games, and according to him, the situation was far different than what social media clips showed.
Speaking on The Pat McAfee Show, the former NBA champion explained exactly what led to the heated exchange during a tournament game involving his AAU organization, Young Perkins Global.
“No, so let me give you the details real quick. It’s my organization, Young Perkins Global. We were in a tournament. It’s a heated 17U game. They’re going back and forth. We end up winning the game. Cool. The other team had this guy that was like seven foot, 400 pounds. After the game, he body slammed one of the kids on my team.”
“So I stay seated at first, then I get up because everybody’s running around. The players are about to fight. As the responsible owner of the organization, I get up and say, hey man, y’all need to chill. I’m grabbing my players. I tell the coach of the other team, hey bro, get your players, I got mine. He pops off. I’m like, I ain’t doing nothing. Who the hell are you talking to? I said, bro, just get your players and I’ll get mine so we can get up out of here.”
“He got smart with me again. That’s when I got pissed off. I’m like, bro, who the hell are you talking to? He said, I’m talking to you. Then all of a sudden, boom, boom, boom, boom. What people didn’t see was after that, we had a little exchange. Yeah, they held us back. Held him back, held me back. Afterwards, we dabbed each other up. He said, my bad. I said, my bad. Then we kept it moving.”
Videos from the incident quickly spread across social media over the weekend, showing Perkins being restrained near the court as tensions exploded between both sides. The footage sparked heavy debate online, with many criticizing Perkins before hearing his side of the story.
😳 EXCLUSIVE: Kendrick Perkins was held back in a heated argument at his son’s AAU game. https://t.co/HWzMZte9an pic.twitter.com/nDwbnfMRYo
— TMZ Sports (@TMZ_Sports) May 27, 2026
Perkins also doubled down on his stance afterward through social media.
“I’m going to protect every single kid in my organization like they’re my own,” Perkins wrote on X after the clips went viral.
That mentality honestly fits Perkins’ reputation throughout basketball. During his NBA career, Perkins built a reputation as one of the toughest enforcers in the league. Across 14 NBA seasons with the Boston Celtics, Oklahoma City Thunder, Cleveland Cavaliers, and New Orleans Pelicans, he averaged 5.4 points and 5.8 rebounds while winning an NBA championship with Boston in 2008.
Now, that same intensity has carried over into youth basketball. Perkins coaches his son, Kenxton Perkins, who is already viewed as one of the top young prospects in the Class of 2030. And from Perkins’ perspective, protecting the players in his program comes before everything else.
Even if that means moments like this go viral.
