'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The debate that Austin Rivers sparked has continued to pick up traction and he's now got Kendrick Perkins and Shannon Sharpe arguing over NBA and NFL athletes. The two athletes turned ESPN personalities butted heads as they discussed this on First Take.
Perkins mentioned that what bugs him about this argument are the people who claim NBA players are not tough enough or are 'too soft' to make it into the NFL. Perkins stood his ground in saying that there are indeed several NBA players who can make it into the NFL much to Sharpe's frustration.
Sharpe responded to Perkins by saying this.
"Shooting a basketball is a skillset and basketball players are more skilled. I will concede that," Sharpe said. "But you see the difference between football and basketball is the mentality. We go out there every Sunday and we try to move a man against his will. We ain't tryna run around people, we're trying to run through people. Your mindset ain't built like that Perk." (1:28)
Perkins countered by saying the names of several players currently in the NBA and asking if Shannon Sharpe didn't think of them as NFL-ready. Sharpe did not give an inch to Perkins and said that none of the players the latter named could make it to the highest level of pro football.
Shannon Sharpe played in the NFL from 1990-2003. During that time, he was a four-time first-team All-Pro, an eight-time Pro-Bowler and he has three Super Bowl championships to his name.
Meanwhile, Kendrick Perkins played in the NBA from 2003-2018. He served mostly as a rebounding specialist and was a roleplayer for numerous teams. He never won any personal accolades but he was a part of the Boston Celtics '08 championship squad.
Shannon Sharpe tells Kendrick Perkins that his biggest issue with the NFL-NBA debate is the disrespect
In the same First Take episode wherein Shannon Sharpe and Kendrick Perkins argued about NBA athletes playing in the NFL, Sharpe made it clear that his problem doesn't lie in basketball players thinking they can make it as pro football players.
Instead, the former NFL TE said that his whole issue is with players who think they can easily make the jump from one professional league to another even if it was for an entirely different sport.
Sharpe said that it upsets him when NFL players talk about making it in the NBA or even in professional baseball. He shared that the reason he gets upset is that it is disrespectful to make such claims and that players from one sport should give other athletes the respect they deserve for the sport that they play.
He then concluded by issuing a challenge to Perkins and perhaps any NBA player who thinks they can make it in the NFL today by telling them to simply "go try it." He then rescinded that and told them to try their hand at an NFL training camp first.
