Kendrick Perkins has certainly made a name for himself in his post-NBA retirement. Since migrating to ESPN, Perkins has caught a lot of attention for his hot takes. At times, he’s gone too far, and even when he’s called out on it, he tends to double down. Recently, Perkins did something not many would have expected from him: he apologized.
Kendrick Perkins Apologizes to Former NBA MVP
On NBA Today, Perkins wanted to apologize to 76ers center Joel Embiid because he believed the glory days of the 2023 NBA MVP were over, only to be proven wrong.
“I like to issue an apology to Daryl Morey and Joel Embiid because I didn’t expect this,” Perkins said. “If you’d ask me this two months ago, I thought Joel Embiid was on the verge of retirement seriously and now all of a sudden he’s come back to looking like an all-NBA caliber player.”
Perkins added what has surprised him most about Embiid’s play this season after all the injuries he’s suffered in recent years.
“It’s the length. He’s dunking the ball now. We saw him catch an alley, like he’s playing above the rim and he’s playing with force.”
Perk:
“I like to issue an apology to Daryl Morey and Joel Embiid because I didn’t expect this. If you’d ask me this two months I thought Joel Embiid was on the verge of retirement and now all of a sudden he’s come back to looking like an all-NBA caliber player” pic.twitter.com/bsbmMnAOIS
— Oh No He Didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) January 30, 2026
Embiid has missed a significant chunk of the last two seasons due to injuries. What made it look worse was that he not only signed a pretty massive extension with the Philadelphia 76ers, but also played in the 2024 Olympics while clearly not 100%.
However, Perkins’ props for Embiid are legitimate because he doesn’t look washed up out there. He’s played in only 27 games, but his numbers still look good (even if they are not MVP-level good): averaging 25.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.1 blocks while shooting 49.1% from the field and 28.3% from three.
It might be a little too optimistic to expect Embiid to return to his peak form, but it is impressive that during a time when many questioned how he would look after what he’s gone through, he’s still playing at an All-Star level. He still has more to prove, but there’s hope again for Embiid. It’s not great, but the Sixers are getting something out of someone who’s owed $55,224,526 this season.
Plus, he did something we’ve hardly ever seen as a society: get Kendrick Perkins to apologize.
