NBA fans are in disbelief on social media as ex-league star Kendrick Perkins looked completely unrecognizable during Tuesday’s playoff broadcast.
Perkins was seen before the Oklahoma City Thunder’s victory in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals standing near the player’s entrance tunnel looking plump as ever.
The big man was billed during his playing days at 6-foot-10 and 270 pounds. Fans are speculating based on the pH๏τo how much more Perkins weighs with his stature.
Perkins was dressed to the nines to watch the Minnesota Timberwolves fall in Oklahoma, with the angle of him pictured next to Stephen A. Smith doing him no favors.
Perkins has been part of ESPN’s broadcast crew for basketball since his retirement, and is one of the most recognizable faces on the network talking about the NBA.
That has not stopped those on social media from having a field day about his appearance on Tuesday night.
Fans are in disbelief on social media as ex-league star Kendrick Perkins looked unrecognizable
Perkins was seen before the Thunder’s victory in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals
One person posted a GIF of Eddie Murphy’s rotund character from ‘The Nutty Professor’.
‘And this man makes fun of other athletes weights lol,’ one fan said on social media. ‘Luka about to make a phone call right now.’
‘3 people can fit INSIDE of perkins … STANDING VERTICALLY!’ another NBA supporter stated.
‘Perk got way bigger since he been at ESPN maybe that’s why he’s never actually in studio,’ a fourth added.
‘Perk built like Paul Bearer,’ a fifth concluded, name-dropping the legendary professional wrestling manager.
A collection of social-media messages about Kendrick Perkins’ stature on live television
Perkins has not addressed the social-media reaction, with him expected to be back on ESPN’s airwaves tonight for Game 1 of the Knicks-Pacers series.
Perkins is best known for his time with the Boston Celtics, where he won an NBA тιтle in 2008, and in Oklahoma City, playing alongside Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden.
The 40-year-old retired after his second stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Perkins did not play during the 2018 postseason, watching LeBron James, prior to his departure for the Los Angeles Lakers, lose in the finals to the Golden State Warriors.