Kendrick Perkins played the best part of his NBA career with the Boston Celtics . He was even a member and a valuable contributor to the Celtics' 2008 title team. Yet long after his retirement, the Texas native has been estranged from the city he once called home.
During his recent appearance on The Mark Jackson Podcast , Big Perk talked about his relationship with the Celtics and their fan base.
"I've been one that's been one of the biggest advocates for Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown since they put the world on notice, back when JT was a rookie. And my thing is over the past couple of years, they've had their let downs so, so the criticisms, it was warranted. It wasn't like I was just making it up," said Perkins.
Perkins admits he didn't think Mazzulla could do it
Big Perk also admitted to questioning Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla. He said that he honestly did not believe that Mazzulla's system and philosophy of taking too many three-pointers would lead the Celtics to the promised land.
He added that he saw the Celtics reach the Conference Finals several times and fail, including in 2022, when they were up 2-1 in the NBA Finals before losing to the Golden State Warriors. But now that they've conquered the mountain, Perk gave them their flowers. But the Celtics faithful are challenging to please.
"But the thing is, Boston fans, they expect you to be married to them for life," added Perk. "Like a sense of entitlement, like you owe them your life, and that's not the case."
Focused on his current career
Perkins then told Jackson that since he was traded by the Celtics in 2011, he has not been back in Boston on a personal trip. The times he's been there have been work-related. But that doesn't mean that he feels no love towards the city.
"They raised me," continued Big Perk. "That was the organization and the city that embraced me as an 18-year-old. But at the end of the day, my thing was even when I retired from the game, I closed that chapter of my life, of basketball, and started focusing on my new career that's in front of me right now."
Since his retirement, Perkins has worked in the media. Currently, he is employed by ESPN as an NBA analyst. As much as he doesn't want to say anything negative about the C's, Perk says he has to call a spade a spade. That includes criticizing his former team if he feels he needs to.
Related: Kendrick Perkins says he was the better postseason defender than Rudy Gobert: "I showed up in big moments"
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