Kendrick Perkins on Ja Morant: “He has one foot on the grave the other on the banana peel when it comes down to his career. Ja Morant better wake the hell up cuz in 2 years after this contract he could find himself out of the league”
That’s a beautiful phrase. I’m not even being sarcastic.
I saw “Perkins” in the title and was getting ready to clown whatever he had to say, but this was poetry.
It might just be the first intelligent thing I’ve ever heard him say, altho that also begs the question of how much those shows might be scripted, these days.
Max Kellerman basically confirmed they were with Bill Simmons.
Might be my favorite big perk quote
There was that thing about Tobias Harris a couple years ago during the playoffs against the Knicks. It was something like “damn he sucks. Its like if Harris asked what did everyone want from Chic-Fil-a and all he came back with were napkins and straws.”
Worth mentioning that it’s a great saying but it’s not a Perk original
Even great artists put an awesome cover track on their albums once in awhile.
Thunder legend Kendrick Perkins 💪
I didn’t even need to click on the link to hear him saying it.
Bird brained Mazzulla up there for me ngl
Perk earns his keep by dropping a great quote every now and then.
Quantity over quality
Hahah straight up I’ve never heard this before and it’s Kendrick Perkins that I’m hearing it from 😂
honestly might be the smartest thing he’s said on air, that’s a good one
Heartbreaking: the worst person you know just made an excellent point
Easily his best quote
I heard it from a real housewife first, which is even weirder to see it in this subreddit
LIKE A DOCTAH, TREMENDOUS
Best thing he’s ever said, by 500 miles
Yeah was not expecting a coherent bar from Perk
The funniest part is that this phrase was said word for word on Real Housewives and I’ve never heard it anywhere else so I’m choosing to believe Perk watches reality tv
Seriously
I’m using this for sure
Kendrick Perkins: for some reason an analyst but is kinda funny once every 10 months
Even the blind Perkins occasionally finds a nut
I am convinced he doesnt actually believe anything he says and is just the ultimate yes man in production meetings. They will hand him bad take scripts and he reads them on air
I respect it way more than people like Orlovsky who just get emotional about their actual bad opinions lok
Perkins, the tofu analyst. He has no flavor himself, but he just absorbs it from what he’s surrounded by.
Pollock the Man
the i didn’t know wolves could be hunted thing from the wcf had me howling. he has his moments
I been tried to tell y’all this lol everyone shits on perkins but he’s my goat lmao
A broken clock is correct twice a day.
lol he will not be out of the league. Not getting a max contract that’s for sure but he will have a spot in the league. He is still a good player
Exactly these are the same clowns that said Dillon Brooks would be playing in China.
10000% chance Ja will be in the league for years, he’s 26 lol
I honestly think most people weren’t serious about Brooks going to China. It was simply a joke cause he played terrible, and couldn’t back up his trash talk.
They weren’t the only ones. There only a few of us here saying he’d still be in the league after that Lakers series and being released. Almost everyone else were clowning him saying get ready to learn Chinese.
The comment is more about trajectory than current state. Yeah if he stays the same of course he’ll still have a spot in the league, you can look at the season stats the past few years and see the regression though. It’s hard not to draw a straight line between his play deteriorating and his off-court antics increasing.
His off court incidents were 3 years ago at this point. That aspect is so overblown lol. His biggest issue is and always has been staying healthy.
Yeah dog I’m not gonna hand-waive waving guns around multiple times like that, you do you though.
Not gonna hand waive something totally legal lmao god y’all are soft as hell
Lots of things are legal. Legal is a bare minimum standard.
The NBA has rules against it.
You don’t pay millions of dollars to a young man who cannot figure out the difference between legal and appropriate behavior. You especially do not do it if they aren’t playing well.
He will get a contract. But teams are definitely going to hold his decision-making against him in negotiations. And if his play does not improve, there won’t be a reason to pay big bucks.
He’s also constantly injured.
They won’t pay him the big bucks because he isn’t available and his play has regressed. If he goes out next season and starts averaging 25/8/5 he could flash a gun again and still get a big contract.
His last suspension for being a dummy with a firearm was 25 games.
His next will likely be a season. Or maybe worse.
Brandishing is a crime, what the hell are you talking about? Do you think anyone can just pull out a gun and start waiving it around? He got off because he’s in the NBA. If that had been you in Shotgun Willie’s with a gun you’d be doing 3-5.
You really out here glazing this man like he did nothing wrong at all you’re cooked fam.
He flashed it for .5 seconds in front of a camera. Get a grip man. He may be off my team this offseason but I’ll always defend him on this because yall act like he fucking murdered someone or beat his wife for flashing a legally owned firearm in front of a camera. 3 years ago btw. With no off court issues since.
Nah you’re cooked in the head. Ima bring guns into your house without saying nothing then waive it around for a few seconds, I ain’t putting nobody in danger yeah? Why would you be upset then? Then ima do it again after you find out. Head ass
It’s ‘wave’ dumb ass
Hand-wave sure. But if you’re gonna hop on my dick about it, I should have said waive. As in “you shouldn’t waive the fact that he was waving a gun around”. Illiterate fuck.
He doesn’t defend he doesn’t shoot he is undersized
He’s 26 and at his worst averages 20 pts with great playmaking. He’ll be in the league
At his worst he also misses half the season with various injuries…
Undersized guards, with a career 31% avg from 3pt range, who rely on athleticism to get that 20pts (which again, will start waning quickly as he ages and gets more injuries), who are basically guaranteed to miss a chunk of the season every year aren’t really hard to come by.
I don’t think he’ll be out the league, but I doubt he’ll see another max deal unless a miracle happens and he A) ups his efficiency, B) develops a 3pt shot, C) matures, and D) manages to play ~70games for a season or two and proves he can be healthy.
Yeah, all i was saying was he will have a spot in the league for a while. He’s absolutley not getting another max unless some things drastically change.
Not if he isn’t worth the distractions
They have woman beaters in the league dawg. Be for real.
See this is what I mean when I say nba fans on this sub are the most dramatic people on earth. There are women beaters less talented than Ja still in the league lmao.
I think “out of the league” is mostly literal, but you also have to consider his standing in the league, his playing time, and his overall impact. Those have dropped across the board in recent years. If they keep dropping, he could be out of the league by 30.
Once things start falling apart for small guards who can’t shoot, life can come at you fast.
No he legit might be out of the league
People have some weird obsession with Ja from when he was good YEARS ago. He is cheeks now. SMALL guard. Can’t SHOOT. Doesn’t want to DUNK anymore. Can’t DEFEND. Always INJURED. A HEADACHE for an NBA organization. Also, getting PAID top dollar when his production doesn’t match. The only contract he gets after is a min contract no org wants to deal with him as is.
This is all overblown. Ja is still a good player and it’s not that serious. There are worse players in the league.
Still crazy that you even have to say that.
Worse players don’t bring drama
Literally beaters of women on multiple rosters
Ok? Does that make Ja any less of a negative asset?
If your defense is, he doesn’t beat women instead of him being a good basketball player than you’ve already lost.
Also brandishing a firearm and assulting someone isn’t exactly that far away from domestic abuse.
I’m saying there are worse player on rosters right now who beat women.
assaulting someone, sure. but comparing brandishing a firearm to domestic abuse is absolutely insane.
I swear some of these Ja hater’s brains are cooked
Ehhh, I feel like those 2 things probably have plenty of overlap actually. And yes I know Miles Bridges is one of these women beaters, I wish we had been able to trade him away at some point. Maybe this offseason
They absolutely do. The league is filled with drama.
Worse players arguably bring more and bigger drama.
Ayton has been on/off talking about touches. And hes 1⁄4 the player Ja is.
And Aytons on a midlevel.
If you’re not a big and you can’t shoot, this league has no place for you now. Maybe coming off the bench on a bad team? NBA Europe if they get their act together?
I think we’ve seen that Ja can shoot pun intended. This is the only year I would label Ja a “bad shooter” but he has dealt with big shoulder and elbow injuries. The main problem with Ja is his availability.
His 3 % is very bad for a small guard, and he’s gotten worse since he entered the league, across the board. Maybe just the injury, fine, but that doesn’t help his value.
I think that’s why he’s still on the team. They’ve been shopping him since a week ago, and probably longer.
I’m not going to argue the numbers and speculate on why but saying he’s going to be out the league in two years is ridiculous.
You’re telling me an undersized guard with bad defense bad shooting off the court issues legal troubles and availability issues and a massive contract isn’t good?
Hes a number one option type of player is the problem. He doesnt have complimentary skills. No defense, no shooting.
So hes obviously not a good first option. Look at how teams have turned on Westbrook. Ja isnt valued anymore . Nobody wanted him for free
His numbers have gotten worse 4 years running now though
“Good”
He’s missed 160+ games in the last three seasons, shoots 23% from three, and is set to make 86m over the next two years.
There are worse players but none at his price point and risk/potential.
The post/conversation where not about his value, it’s about him being out the league.
Ok but what are his hands doing
Finger guns
pew pew
Bazooka
Chucking those grenades
Someone wrote this script for him 100%
He’s not allowed to say anything off the cuff since the Ibuprofen comment
Why u need ibuprofen when you could have you a Perk 🥴😏
His face after he says that gets me every time. Like he just dropped serious knowledge or something.
Wait…what was that??
what you need ibuprofen for when you can have a perc 😏
Damn lmao
Probably saw it on social media
Big Perk curious about how hollows feel?
It’s free!
I don’t care what Perk has to say. Ja isn’t doing spectacular this season, but I doubt he’s going to be out of the league.
I think it’s more about the potential headache for the locker room. His play has fallen off and he might not be worth the risk at some point, if he does not get his shit together sooner rather then later…
Ja is a quitter and has a toxic attitude. Maybe someone will pay a vet min for him but he’s genuinely not worth a dime more, and even at that salary I wouldn’t want him around players I actually want to develop.
I can’t overstate just how bad his attitude is and just how much of a quitter he is. Worst thing for a team.
Not him quoting Real Housewives of Salt Lake City 😭
My first thought too
That saying has been around forever lol I guess it’s a cultural thing because my grandpop has said that about different situations as long as I’ve been alive.He’s from the south like Kendrick maybe that’s it.
Gotta give it to Perk on this one lol
Perk talking is like a continuous stream of diarrhea except once in a while an actual diamond will come along, bobbing amid the shit. That’s an incredible line.
Oh no, Ja will have nearly 250M in career earnings after this contract ends - what ever will he do?
You’re insane if you think he hasn’t blow 90% of that already and prob has debt built up too
100% Ja has like zero financial literacy
He’ll probably do what may do… go broke.
Yearly Perk quote of gold. See previous: Ben Simmons (Newport longs) and Tobias (napkins and forks).
Perk’s got one hand on the refrigerator door.
You know what, give credit where credit is due. Perkins is on the mark with this one.
alright, Perk cooked with that one
How much has he made throughout the course of his career?
According to google:
As of the end of the 2024-2025 NBA season, Ja Morant has earned approximately \(110.35 million in total salary over his first six seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies. His earnings will significantly increase in the coming years due to his 5-year, \)193M+ maximum extension, which began in the 2023-24 season.
I’m so annoyed about the 19-20 draft class.. all that hype for this shit
same can be said for Zion and he ate the banana.
Quiet, Perk. He’s still an All-NBA player and some team should give us a package reflecting that!
/s
hes not gonna be out the league. perk always sayin bs
Ja Morant might be the first player since Javaris Crittenton to go from the NBA to the streets.
Ja is not out of the league in 2 years unless he racks up more injuries
People were making China jokes about Dillon Brooks after the Lakers series and he’s been a good player for 2 different teams. Ja Morant is a much better player than Dillon and is the same type of locker guy as Dillon so why would he be out of the league?
Perk one of those guys that says a ton of wild stuff, but within some of the “takes” he drops one of these OG bombs on you and really sets things into perspective. He’s 100% factual on this, Ja needs to figure it out. Even without his off the court issues, he had a game that was already gonna be hard to maintain from a physical standpoint. Small guards can only fly by guys and get to the rim for so long, we have seen it time and time again. I hope Ja figures it out, he has had an incredible journey and was one of the easiest guys to root for at one point. Honestly, I hope he sticks in Memphis and really buys in to figuring this thing out. I think the light at the end of the tunnel if he were to fix things and find success, would be so, so bright.
Good riddance
Awesome quote
Didn’t Memphis essentially trade JJJ ensuring that Morant is an obvious focal point of this team? Being out of the league in 2 years is a wild take. Lonzo Ball played 70 games on a 4 year contract and still got extended for 2 years.
That’s actually a bar
While not as productive as Ja, there are several players in every sport , some notable that got shown the door even when they were still pro caliber . It happens
A hard lesson that everyone in their life will learn at some point whether it’s your job/partner/family/team eventually to whoever you will become more trouble than your worth and shown the door
He definitely won’t be out of the league in two years unless something life-changingly dumb or tragic happens. Still maybe the funniest and most accurate thing Perk has ever said though.
Perk cooked with that one.
there’s no way he’s out of the league in 2 years cmon let’s get real here. the guys’ quickly becoming one of the most underrated players in the history of the game if this is the common viewpoint on him.
Ngl, that was a bar!
The question is, which foot do you move first?
Somewhat agree with Perk. Ja definitely needs to get his act together. He can still play but the league is so guard heavy now that he can be replaced if he continues to be headache
the ja narratives are fucking insane man. i feel bad for the dude.
You know he had ghost writers for that
Good lord haha. Perk has been improving his game a lot this year.
Yes all this talk of ja not being in the league is extreme and sensationalist….but also it’s a clue to how things work behind the scenes. Perkins isn’t referring to Ja as a talent, he is talking about the very real politics that come along with playing in the NBA. If a not-so-secret league memo goes out that kinda keeps him from winning situations -that’s it.
Playing on bad teams. Nothing but bad press. Playing for coaches who don’t look for you on a shot diet. My first experience seeing what Perkins is really talking about was AI. A lot goes into propping up a player to winning. Yes skill takes the best players to places that you can’t deny, but all players need the trust of the systems in place to go out and succeed. If a coach tells you “look we recognize how talented you are but you are 31, we have all these young players we want to develop, and we don’t see ourselves as a team that has you going out and taking 22 shots a night”, than that’s it! Maybe you can route yourself to a sorry franchise desperate enough to let you, but you aren’t reviving your career in a meaningful way there, and you will likely hear the same disappointing response from the other non-desperate teams that got the memo.
It’s a tough hypothetical but I can see almost any current star getting the label as “not great for a team/does this player really contribute to winning”. Once that label is floating around all you have is your skill to dig you out of the hole.
Better learn to speak underworld pal
Bars
He’s never been an efficient scorer, especially away from the rim, and now that his athleticism is declining he’s not even good at creating rim pressure. If he doesn’t develop a consistent outside shot, he’s not going to be of much value to many teams. Can’t even lean on defense because he’s undersized AND doesn’t even have good defensive skills to overcome his stature. Out of the league might be an exaggeration but he’s going to quickly become useless to a lot of teams if he can’t remodel his game.
His rapid decline as a player and in trade value has been ja dropping.
That’s beautiful. I’ve heard enough, sign perk to a 12-year contract with NBC.
C’mon it’s a very bad contract but Ja is an NBA player.
It doesnt even matter anymore lol dude will have made hundreds of millions while being nothing but a liability for years. Dude will laugh surrounded by a bunch of useless yes men
Perk spitting facts for once
That’s funny but we all know Ja won’t get caught slipping with all his guns
Damn that’s a brutal assessment
Perk do you see how long your career was?
I don’t think carving out a 13 year career in the NBA is anything to sniff at.
my point is he rode the bench for years but ja is going to be out of the league after his contract?
Oh so you’re saying Ja could still be in the league but not necessarily as a starter, like Russ now
Yeah im just saying Ja isnt going to be out of the league in 2 years.
if Perk could stick around for 14yrs im sure Ja can get another contract after this one.
ben simmons was still getting them until he decided to pursue fishing lol
Yeah that makes sense
His point is that Ja is bad in a locker room. Players like Perkins held onto to their careers for so long in part because they had the soft/team-oriented skills to do so. If Ja isn’t playing really well he’s a negative to have in your building. I think he’s pretty qualified to make that point.
Perk was a big a decade ago. Ja is 6’2” and can’t shoot 3s and can’t be trusted.
Perk hears things, he’s right.
can’t be trusted.
man the media is great at their job lol
15 years and he averaged 5 points a game, no 3-pointers made. Clearly he’s the qualified GOAT
“Yea and our starting center Kendrick Perkins averaged a whopping 2 and 3 during that series. U played hard tho champ” - KD
He held the benches down for over a decade. I woulda been content with that while cashing a check
thats my point
from 2003 to 2018.
I’d say pretty solid
Perk spouting real wisdom? I’m down for it lol
Running that Ben Simmons time line. Ja could be a fisherman too in 2 years!
What the fuck is he talking about. Perkins just be talking now he sounds crazy as hell
He’s not wrong. Ja has incredible talent and he’s not only wasting it, but endangering his life too. You’re a millionaire athlete, just fucking enjoy it.
Shit happend 3 years ago. Let it go