A few days ago, Kendrick Perkins called himself the leader of the Oklahoma City Thunder during his time there. That team had Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden, yet Perkins insisted he was the guy holding it all together. Fans weren’t exactly buying it, and Durant himself didn’t hesitate to call it the “craziest s—.” But now, Perkins is back with an explanation, standing firm on why he was the true leader—not KD.

According to Perkins, when he arrived in OKC, the team was far from united. “When I arrived, I saw separation,” he revealed on the Road Trippin’ podcast. “This group did not fu-k with KD, and KD did not f— with this group,” he explained.

So, as per Perk, he became the glue that brought everyone together. How? Starting a group text. Instead of basketball talks, he sparked conversations about football, knowing it could bring the guys together. And it did. “We actually went to a game together in Dallas with the Redskins on the private jet where the Redskins played the Cowboys in the suite,” Perkins shared.

To him, that moment was proof he was changing the team’s culture. Once he even reached out to Troy Weaver, then OKC’s assistant GM. “Who was the leader on that team?” he asked. According to Perkins, Weaver said, “You and Nick [Collison].” And that’s why Perkins called out Durant directly: “Don’t try to f— up my credibility with no f—— lies.”

Of course, this isn’t the first time Perkins has championed his role in OKC. “When I was in Oklahoma City, they had trouble getting up out of the first round. Got there. Took them to multiple Western Conference Finals. To the Finals. Took them to the promised land,” he once claimed. But was he really the driving force?

Perkins spent five seasons in OKC as the starting center, and yes, the team reached two Conference Finals and an NBA Finals. But his numbers tell a different story. He never averaged more than 5.1 points per game, and his rebounding—just 5.5 per game. Defensively, 0.9 blocks per game didn’t scream a game-changer either. So, when Durant dismissed Perkins’ claim as the “craziest s—,” the stats seemed to back him up.

Kevin Durant shuts Big Perk for his Oklahoma City Thunder claim

The ESPN analyst recently called out KD for the Suns’ latest struggles, putting the blame squarely on his shoulders. “Another organization, another failure for Kevin Durant,” Kendrick Perkins said, pointing out that since leaving Golden State, KD has yet to find postseason success.

But that wasn’t even the boldest take. Perkins took it a step further, questioning Durant’s leadership in Oklahoma City. “It doesn’t mean your best player is your leader,” he argued. Then came the real shocker: “When I was with the Thunder, it wasn’t KD, it wasn’t Russ, it wasn’t James, I was the one leading.”

And Kevin Durant wasn’t about to let it slide. “I know this may be a reach, but this comment is by far the craziest sh-t I’ve seen this week,” he clapped back.

Still, Perkins didn’t back down. After Durant called him out, he doubled down on his stance during NBA Today. “When I challenged KD to leadership, it’s not because he’s not the best player on the team,” he explained. “I’m wondering why he can’t bring the best out of those players to try to make a late push.”

Now, there’s some truth to what Kendrick Perkins is saying. Not every top scorer is the team’s emotional or vocal leader. But was that really the case in OKC? Durant clearly doesn’t think so.