Kendrick Perkins isn’t just part of the headline anymore; he is the headline now. Game 6 of the NBA Finals brought happiness and belief back for the Pacers. The Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers clashed in a high-stakes battle nobody expected. Yet off the court, something else quietly hijacked attention. A seemingly harmless joke took a sharp left turn, landing ugly with Perkins. The former Celtics man, never one to hold back, instantly made his displeasure known. What started as sideline banter quickly became social media cannon fodder. By the time fans caught up, Perkins’ reaction had stolen the night’s thunder.

A couple of fans showed up rocking shirts with Kendrick Perkins and Stephen A. Smith’s faces printed dead-center. The message felt obvious. Both legends backed OKC, and the Pacers walked out winners. It was a sly, trollish jab from the crowd, meant to needle the broadcasters. But Perkins wasn’t here for jokes. “I picked OKC to win the series. That makes me part of the dumb and dumber crew?” he fired back. Perkins then dropped the gloves completely. “People are never f—— satisfied, right?” he snapped, refusing to sugarcoat his frustration. The man let it all rip, holding nothing back.

Perkins didn’t stop there. “We all played at a high level,” he told viewers, his voice rising with every word. “We can sit up here and tell y’all f—— life experiences, things we went through,” Perkins continued. He didn’t flinch, addressing doubters questioning their basketball IQ. “You say, oh, this motherf– don’t know basketball,” he added, glaring at the camera. Then came the haymaker. “No, motherf—–, you don’t know basketball.” When the video surfaced online, the reaction surprised even longtime Perkins watchers. Instead of backing him, most fans left him hanging in the comment sections.

Fans back courtside trolls over Kendrick Perkins

When the courtside fans showed up flaunting those shirts,  it felt like intentional trolling. The shirts pictured Kendrick Perkins and Stephen A. Smith, two vocal OKC supporters, during a night the Pacers flipped the script. While Perkins fumed live on air, social media did what it does best. It sided with the trolls.

One OKC fan wrote, “As an OKC fan, I thought it was hilarious when I saw them lmao.” That reaction echoed across multiple threads, suggesting even Thunder supporters found the stunt lighthearted. Another fan chimed in, “What a baby lol that was funny as hell.” Unfortunately, it shows a growing trend. That fans no longer coddle analysts, especially the louder personalities.

A playful jab followed next. “Damn bro you couldn’t just laugh😂😂😂,” a comment read, highlighting how audiences expect broadcasters to roll with fan antics. In modern NBA culture, heckling is part of the theatre, and pros are expected to take it.

Then came a sharper one. “I mean you and Stephen are always saying dumb s— so it’s fitting,” another user posted. That line wasn’t a random shade. Perkins and Smith have both caught heat for bold, polarizing takes in recent years. Fans know their reputation, and this dig landed right in that pocket.

Finally, a simple but telling comment surfaced. “Lol why he so mad,” it asked, summing up the general sentiment. In today’s NBA discourse, fans increasingly lean toward humor and trolling over analyst outrage. The fact that Perkins’ blowup didn’t rally sympathy shows about shifting dynamics between broadcasters and viewers.