Last year, when the Celtics won the 18th championship in their history, the celebration began instantly. They had the first duck boat parade in 16 years, and many familiar names showed up. It was Kendrick Perkins’ absence that led to a major revelation of the behind-the-scenes drama. But why? Because the player who helped them lift their 17th banner made some interesting comments about his former team, which did not sit well with many within the organization. Even though Perkins denied those rumors, the team’s lead owner recently revealed that the situation was true.

Several former Celtics champions, such as Paul Pierce, Brian Scalabrine, Leon Powe, and Eddie House, took part in the team’s 2024 championship parade. Kendrick Perkins, however, has always been a bit of a lightning rod in Boston sports circles. While he was the defensive anchor during the Celtics’ 2008 title run, his impact has often been exaggerated in retrospect. A 2012 CelticsLife article even joked that Perkins had become the “Bill Brasky of the Boston Celtics,” with fans mythologizing his influence to absurd levels—“Perk once played the Magic 1-on-5—and won,” the article mocked. It was all tongue-in-cheek, but the point stuck: Perkins’ absence had become shorthand for everything that went wrong post-2011.

And as for the current circumstance, Wyc Grousbeck explained why the big man wasn’t invited to the Celtics’ 2024 title parade. “And I love Perk to this day. He wasn’t invited to our parade last year, that is true,” Grousbeck said. “Because he had been giving people a lot of s—, and so I had family members of players saying, ‘If that guy’s in the parade, I’m not in the parade.’ So I said, ‘OK, you win.’”

The irony runs deep. When the Celtics traded Perkins to OKC in 2011, it marked a breaking point in his trust with the franchise. “It’s not a family,” Perkins later said, reflecting on the move. “As soon as they’re done with you, they’re done with you.” While he’s since built a media career speaking his mind, the echoes of that trade still color his relationship with the organization—possibly fueling the very bluntness that got him barred from the duck boat this time around.

The drama started last year, when Brian Scalabrine, a fellow analyst and former teammate of Kendrick Perkins (2005-2010), claimed that he was purposefully not invited, speculatively due to his critical remarks. Perk denied those at the time and even explained that he had a personal relationship with Grousbeck, so the ban was not the real thing. “I have a personal relationship with Wyc Grousbeck like Wyc Grousbeck came to my wedding.” But the current players’ family members’ decision took precedence over the Celtics owner’s relationship with the ESPN analyst.

Previously, Perkins also revealed that he spoke to the owner of the franchise amidst the beef. “So I reached out to Wyc Grousbeck, we had a conversation; obviously he felt some way about the Joe Mazzulla comment.” What was the controversial comment? “And you wonder, if you take his brain out and you put it in a bird, the bird is going to start flying backward,” KP had blasted Mazzulla after a narrow 102-100 loss to the Nuggets in January 2024. Just over a week later, Mazzulla clapped back, subtly but effectively, saying, “I’m a bird brain, you know I can’t do that,” when asked about Boston’s injury report.

The 40-year-old’s blunt assessment came during the title-winning season, when he criticized the play style of the Celtics‘ coach. The C’s rely on shooting from beyond the arc, but Perkins believed that when it doesn’t land, the HC should make some changes. He would later reveal that an invitation to meet Mazzulla was on the cards.

Kendrick Perkins banned from the duck boat but not from having dinner with the HC

As stated previously, Kendrick Perkins is very blunt. He has called out players before. “I’m so over Jayson Tatum. When is he going to arrive?” Previously, he also called Tatum “scared as hell,” and this year’s Finals as “boring.” So, one can understand if the player’s family had any issues with the Celtics legend being around. But the one person who apparently had no issue was Joe Mazzulla.

Kendrick Perkins said on All the Smoke podcast, “Starting this season, I actually get an email from Joe Mazzulla saying, ‘Hey Perk. Whenever you’re free, if you’re in Boston or we play the Rockets, I want to go to dinner and break bread.’” The conversation was not only about eating, as the former champion was ready to bury any differences. “I will apologize for the comment, it was a lot of humor in there, but you know again I’mma own up to and apologize.”

It seems the apology and efforts from Perk were too little, too late. The Boston Celtics’ front office had already made up its mind not to invite the 40-year-old. So, although previously, Perkins denied the front office’s involvement in banning him from the parade, it seems that isn’t the case. Needless to say, it will be interesting to see KP’s reaction once he finds out about Grousbeck’s comment.