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After Blasting the “ESPN Disease” for ‘Racial Bias’ in NBA Hysteria, Charles Barkley Uses Giannis Antetokounmpo to Pinch Kendrick Perkins

Published 03/10/2023, 2:51 PM EST

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The MVP debates are getting increasingly divisive as the season slowly nears a conclusion. While there are valid reasons for some of these debates, NBA fans probably didn’t expect so many hot takes in such a short span of time. Some of these recent MVP takes have not been received well in NBA circles, with NBA legends like Charles Barkley calling them out publicly. However, it seems like Chuck isn’t done yet, as he moved on to another level of trolling while calling out Kendrick Perkins for his recent ‘racial bias’ comments.

Former NBA star turned analyst Kendrick Perkins has been criticized by many after his recent comments on the NBA MVP selection criteria. While former Dallas Mavericks star JJ Redick called him out during the show, Barkley has been seemingly having fun with the controversial topic on air.

Charles Barkley trolls Kendrick Perkins while using Shaquille O’Neal as bait

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The Philadelphia 76ers legend has been very vocal about his displeasure with Kendrick Perkins’ comments on the MVP selection committee. Perkins recently mentioned on ESPN’s First Take how 80% of the MVP voters were white, implying that the voters have a racial bias toward the two-time MVP winner Nikola Jokic.

It was a statement that wasn’t appreciated by many and Barkley was one of the first to vocally shut down such thoughts. In a radio show, Barkley criticized Perkins for having the “ESPN disease“. According to Chuck, people infected with the ‘disease’ show symptoms of saying something provocative to justify their appearance on the popular network.

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However, it seems like Chuck isn’t done yet, as on a recent episode of NBA on TNT the 76ers legend trolled Perkins while using Shaquille O’Neal as bait. When Shaq mentioned that his choice of MVP for the season was Giannis Antetokounmpo, the 76ers legend seized the golden opportunity to troll Perkins.

You always vote for him ‘cause he’s black,” joked Barkley. Although this is a sensitive topic for many, Barkley decided to use banter to point out the ridiculousness of Perkin’s remarks.

ALSO READ: After Ditching $2,000,000,000 Team for Gambling Interest, Shaquille O’Neal Forced to Walk Back on His Past Criticism

However, it doesn’t seem like Chuck needs to point out anything for anyone as many have already raised their voices against the matter, especially ESPN.

The aftermath of Perkins’ controversial statement

During his controversial rant, the NBA analyst Perkins mentioned some things that were untrue, according to ESPN. Just a day later, the popular sports broadcaster clarified that their panel for the MVP voters was much more “diverse than what was portrayed by their analyst.

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Additionally, his Twitter was bombarded with reactions that clearly disagreed with his words. However, Perkins decided to not back down from his statement as he tweeted how he was called a “c**n” last year, but a “racist” this year, implying that the people criticizing him are hypocrites. 

What do you think about these conversations? Please let us know in the comments below.

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Written by:

Shankha Shuvra Das

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Shankha Shuvra Das is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. He holds a Bachelor's and a Master's degree in Economics and has extensive experience in freelance content creation, especially in the field of technology. Shankha's passion for covering the sport of basketball stems from his love for the NBA, which he has been following closely for several years now.
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Edited by:

Satagni Sikder