Kendrick Perkins was involved in a heated exchange at his son’s AAU game over the weekend. The former NBA champion and current ESPN analyst, who is also a youth basketball coach, had to be held back as he appeared to yell at the opposing staff.
NBA World Reacts to Kendrick Perkins’ Altercation at Son’s Basketball Game
TMZ Sports posted a video of the heated altercation between Perkins and others at a game in Norman, Oklahoma, involving his son over the weekend.
It is unclear what exactly caused the argument, but the tabloid was told by the Boston Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunder center’s representatives that he was simply protecting and defending his players. They claimed the incident began over a “non-basketball play” involving one of the players on Perkins’ team.
As the video surfaced on social media, the NBA world was quick to share its thoughts. Perkins also addressed the video, doubling down and defending his actions.
“Damn right and it probably won’t be the last time! I’m going to protect every single kid in my organization like they’re my own,” he wrote on X.
Damn right and it probably won’t be the last time! I’m going to protect every single kid in my organization like they’re my own. https://t.co/iOUMHLPXGM
— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) May 27, 2026
Perkins also shared his side of the story on the “Pat McAfee Show” on Wednesday.
“It’s a heated game. They’re going back-and-forth. We ended up winning. The other team, they had this guy who was like 7-foot 400 points. He comes and bodyslams one of the kids playing for my team. Then I get up because everybody is running around. The players are about to fight. So as a responsible owner of the organization, I get up and I tell the coach of the other team, ‘Get your players. I got mine.’ He popped off. He got smart with me. That’s when I got pissed off. What people didn’t see is that afterwards we dabbed up and both said, ‘My bad’ and we kept it moving,” he said.
One content creator had a sarcastic reply to a video of Perkins getting into a fight at his son’s basketball game.
“Shocked that Kendrick Perkins would be an idiot sports dad. Shocked I say,” they wrote.
Shocked that Kendrick Perkins would be an idiot sports dad. Shocked I say https://t.co/K2o2TRsHyN
— Paul Zeise (@PaulZeise) May 27, 2026
Another user pointed out the irony of the incident amid Perkins’ past criticism of AAU basketball. He had claimed in 2021 that AAU basketball was getting “out of control” due to fighting in the stands and cheating at tournaments.
“The irony is hilarious after his comments about AAU basketball,” they wrote.
The irony is hilarious after his comments about AAU basketball https://t.co/Z2KEhHTxJn
— Future Of The Retro (@TraeK_) May 27, 2026
Some fans were also critical of Perkins for his hot-tempered nature and for getting involved in an altercation at an AAU game, while others joked about how the other team’s staff did not appear to fear the 41-year-old. One fan even called out ESPN for employing the former NBA player.
“How is this r**ard employed by ESPN?” one wrote.
“Shameful,” commented a user.
Shameful https://t.co/S102xik1Fp
— MimiLife (@MsJacksonlol) May 27, 2026
“ain’t nobody scared of big muffin,” another fan wrote.
ain’t nobody scared of big muffin 😭 https://t.co/U62m5XUAia
— Captain Canada, Esq. ⁶𓅓 (@Ovovengeful) May 27, 2026
“He so weird,” wrote a fourth user.
Perkins has long been known for his hot-tempered and abrasive demeanor. He had a fiery on-court demeanor during his 16-season playing career. Since retirement, Perkins has been serving as an analyst for ESPN, where he has been involved in many heated debates.
