Kendrick Perkins reflects on OKC, Thunder's rise, and his own growth in media

Former Thunder big man Kendrick Perkins is rapidly becoming a popular voice as an NBA analyst. You can tell in the attached extended interview why Perk is gaining steam as the playoffs continue.

Big Perk was a key reason the Oklahoma City Thunder advanced to the 2012 NBA Finals. GM Sam Presti brought him over from Boston, where Perk was part of an NBA Title team.

So when Perk talks about “agendas” from some of his teammates in those 2012 Finals, it comes from having had first-hand experience with everyone on that team.

In this interview, Perk is emphatic that the Thunder will win the title, that they can become the greatest defensive team in history, and that SGA will become the “greatest Thunder player ever.”

Enjoy! I sure did.

Dean Blevins: Can I say welcome home?

Kendrick Perkins: Yeah, absolutely.

Blevins: After that ovation last night, you want to call this place home — at least part-time?

Perkins: I do, I do Dean. I miss it so much. I love this place so much. My family loves it. My wife was actually at the game with my kids. She said, “Yeah, we can move back.” I said, “Hold on, let’s just have another conversation.” But definitely. I always feel like home. I mean, Oklahoma City is my family — not just the organization, but the entire city. The entire state. So many great memories, so many great relationships. And just yesterday was the time that, you know, when you have those special moments that you reflect and you, you feel loved and, you know, you’re like, “Oh damn, I missed you so much.”

Blevins: Coming from Nederland, Texas, you know what a smaller city feels like. This isn’t Nederland, but there’s something about the people here — a certain quality.

Perkins: Oh, well absolutely. And the great thing about it — the crazy part — is that all of my colleagues and friends that work at ESPN, they all were coming up to me and were like, “Perk, man, this place is awesome. The people are great. The hospitality.” And I was like, “I told y’all this already, like before we got here.” And they were like, “No, it’s on another level.” And I’m like, “Well, y’all really haven’t seen everything.” Like there’s certain places and certain things they need to go visit to learn — like need to go to the memorial and learn about the Oklahoma City bombing and things of that nature. And I think they’ll have a whole other level of appreciation. But they love it here. And I’ma tell you this — Stephen A. Smith is a great friend of mine outside of us working together. And when he’s happy with a place, you know that you're doing something right.

Blevins: That Oklahoma City bunch — they’re getting after it. What stands out to you about this team?

Perkins: One is the agenda-free basketball.

Blevins: Very good way to put it.

Perkins: Agenda-free basketball is — you don’t find that in young teams. And you look, for example, at a guy like Jaylin Williams — J Will — the one that comes in off the bench, right? Because there’s J Dub and there’s J Will. You watch how he played in the Denver series, and now he’s not getting minutes. But then you look at the bench — he’s up, he’s clapping, he’s happy for his teammate. He’s smiling. He’s enjoying the moment. He’s giving that energy, right? And the thing is, I always look at teams and I always look at the bench, and they tell me a lot about what’s going on in that locker room. Because it’s easy to be involved and feel great when the team is having success and you’re having success also. But if you’re not having success and the team is, what does your body language look like?

And I’m watching guys come in after not playing minutes. I’m watching them embrace certain guys, give guys love. And every single night it seems like — outside of SGA, J Dub, and Chet — it’s a different guy stepping up. The whole thing we witnessed all season long with the group interview — it wasn’t fake. That’s real. I stayed late after the game, probably was one of the last ones to leave, and I watched every single one of those players leave the arena with a smile on their face. And you don’t see that often. Some of those guys didn’t even play, didn’t even see the floor. And I think that’s the separation right there. I think that’s why we’re witnessing one of the best defensive teams in NBA history.

Blevins: That’s big Perk analysis. It seems like you’ve taken your game to another level too. Have you signed a new contract or something? Because it feels like you’re growing fast in the business.

Perkins: You watching someone that has another opportunity right in front of them, and I’m taking full advantage. I had so many regrets as a basketball player. I closed that chapter of my life. I tell people at the network all the time — don’t put “Kendrick Perkins, NBA veteran, NBA champion” — that’s my past life. I want to be known as the NBA analyst. And I don’t want to leave nothing on the table.

Blevins: What changes have you made? Are you more introspective?

Perkins: Well, I think it’s reps. And it’s also like appreciating others and watching and learning from others. People would be amazed — I watch and I study a lot of people, and not just in sports. How to deliver. How to do your research. Different shows require different personality and things of that nature. I’ve just become a student of the game in the media space. And I’m like, “Okay, I like how he did this. I like when he said this at this moment.” I like the way he made sure he addressed the audience and not the desk. It was like, “Oh, okay.”

Blevins: That’s smart.

Perkins: And also being around journalists, right? I feel like iron sharpens iron. You have to be on your best stuff. Because when you’re around guys that do their research, do their homework, know the numbers, know the history — you’ve got to be on your best game.

Blevins: Otherwise someone’s taking the mic! Let’s talk about SGA. What doesn’t that guy do?

Perkins: He is definitely one of one. I saw him after the game and I’m like, “I’ll see you in Minnesota.” And he just said, “Pull up and watch the show” so calm and just never broke stride. Great individual off the floor, by the way. Richard Jefferson interviewed him and said that was the best interview he’s ever had — how he speaks, his mindset. I’m gonna say this: SGA is six wins away from becoming the greatest Thunder player of all time.

He’s already joined the company of Michael Jordan this past season — guys averaging 30 and shooting over 50% from the field. He’s done it three times. Jordan did it five. They’re the only two sitting in that room. He’s got the scoring title. Your team has the best record in the league. And people don’t give them credit — this Thunder team battled a lot of injuries throughout the season, but they never dropped off. That was because of his leadership.

Now he gets the MVP, and now you’re on the verge — it’s right in front of you — to go get a championship and win Finals MVP. I think there’s no debate there.

Blevins: What’s the biggest concern that could hold them back from winning it all?

Perkins: Just health, right? And also — it’s like I’ve run out of things to say about them. In one breath I want to say, “You don’t want them to get too comfortable,” but they’re not. They’re hungry as hell. They’re starving. They shot something like 7-for-33 from three last night and still won by 15 points. When I see that, it’s because they have an identity and a togetherness defensively that you just can’t break. The one thing you can count on with this Oklahoma City Thunder team is that for 48 minutes they’re going to compete at a high level.

So, I mean the only thing that can stop them from winning the NBA championship is injuries. It’s their health. That’s the only thing. Because right now they’re going to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves. And whether it’s the Knicks or the Pacers — they’re going to beat them as well. They have the best team, they have the best player, and the coach is coaching his behind off.

Blevins: That’s what I wanted to ask about — Mark Daigneault. You weren’t coached by him, but what do you see?

Perkins: He’s the evil genius. That’s what he is. He flies under the radar. He doesn’t want to be the one known for having quotes that go viral. He doesn’t want to be in the spotlight. He’s not trying to be in front of the camera. I saw him leaving the arena last night — he was on the phone with his wife, backpack on, headed home. That’s who he is.

You can always tell if a coach got the locker room, by the way, a team played defense, right. And hold themselves accountable. Yeah. And he has the tension in the ears of that locker room. His voice is heard and the adjustments that he makes. On a day to day basis, the rotations, the right rotations. I mean game seven last series Alex Caruso's guarding Nikola Jokic. Like, whoever thought there would have been an adjustment that the Thunder make, right. And it worked. It worked. So you got to credit him and give them all the credit in the world for having this team together and having them play in a agenda-free basketball.

Blevins: What makes Sam Presti different from other general managers?

Perkins: He had a plan in place, and he stuck with it. And that was from day one. You talk about culture. This is the true definition of a culture. Not getting too high, not getting too low, and not cheating the process. You know, like he had moments where, you know, he made moves, right. Kevin Durant was here. Kevin Durant left. Russell Westbrook took over. Yet we went out and got Paul George to get Russ help. That ran its course. And then he came back and he started to rebuild.

But then he had something special in this game. And all of a sudden he has these lottery picks and he drafts well. He gets Chet Holmgren. He gets a Jalen Williams. He gets, you know, a Cason Wallace, right. Side Lu Dort, right. And all of a sudden you see it start to come together. And when I say culture — when I walk around the arena, I’m still seeing all the familiar faces from when I was there. From the guys who are the valet drivers to the security to everybody. And that says a lot about Sam Presti.

Blevins: How has Presti impacted you personally?

Perkins: To be honest, Sam Presti’s impacted my life was so much more than, like, you know, in the real world. A lot of people don’t know this story, but I went to Kansas City— I went to Kansas City right — for two months in, I think it was in like 2013 maybe, in the offseason. And it was like an anger management course. And he was like, 'I’m telling you, this is the sacrifice. I want you to go. I want you to go down there. I’m not saying that, but I tell you it’s going to help you as a human being.' And it did.

My love for Sam and Donnie and everybody just went to a whole 'nother level. They taught me so much.

Sam got an opportunity to see my wife yesterday, and they shed tears. And he was like, 'I’m so happy that you’re back.'

Q: How’s the family enjoying being back in OKC?

Perkins: I’m blessed. I’m blessed. They get on my nerves at times. I get on my nerves a lot. But I’m blessed. I have twins, 12 — boy and girl — Zoe and Carter. And then I have Kendrick Junior and Kingston. Kendrick Junior was here — I call him ‘The Can’ — he was nine. He’s 17 now. Kingston was four — he’s 13 now. So when they came back, everybody was like, 'I remember y’all. Y’all were babies.' Just those moments — it was just like, how I feel.

Blevins: What’s your take on team ownership?

Perkins: Mr. Clay Bennett is if not one of the best owners in the NBA — in sports. Just a great dude. Humble human being.

Blevins: Who was your favorite teammate during your time in the NBA?

Perkins: Nick Collison. I played with a lot of greats — a lot of greats — in my 14-year career. Nick Collison, best teammate I ever played with. And guess what? Nobody better have a damn thing to say about it.

Blevins: How does this current Thunder team compare to the one you played on?

Perkins: There’s no comparison because the team that I’m witnessing and watching right now — they actually like each other. That’s the difference. They actually enjoy one another.

At that point in time, you had young Kevin Durant, a young Russell Westbrook, a young James Harden. Like, they wanted to win. And they played. I would never take them for granted. But they still had their own individual agendas. This team — I don’t get that vibe from. And that’s the difference. And this is why they’re going to win the NBA championship.

Blevins: Is this team better than the Thunder squad that made the Finals in 2012?

Perkins: They better than us. Yeah. All across the board. Again, I don’t say this lightly, but I’ve been part of a lot of great defensive teams. But this is one of the best defensive teams in NBA history.

Blevins: What do you say to critics who think opposing stars should have more success against this Thunder defense?

Perkins: People keep wondering, and I said this the other day… they’re like, ‘Oh man, Anthony Edwards got to get off. He got to fire.’ I’m like, it’s not that easy. Like, it did not come to just let him get off. He don’t want that. They don’t want that. I’m like, if Nikola Jokic just struggled in the series — and he’s the best player in the world — and we’re talking about a guy knocking at the door being a top-five center of all time, if he struggled, what the hell makes you think that Anthony Edwards is not going to struggle?