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Kendrick Perkins, ESPN's outspoken NBA analyst, is still with the network despite a parody account tweeting on Tuesday that he had been let go by ESPN.
Many wondered about the tweet, which was contructed to look like NBA Central had credited a TMZ Sports report. The fakeout came on the heels of a recent controversy after Perkins attributed Nikola Jokic's MVP candidacy to his race along with reports that ESPN is bracing for a round of layoffs.
On Wednesday, NBA Central (@thenbacentral) confirmed that Perkins will be in studio despite what the fake account (@thenbacantrel) tweeted on Tuesday. TMZ Sports never tweeted anything about Perkins being laid off or published any story about Perkins.
Given the fake report and the controversy that has surrounded Perkins recently, many wondered just what it would mean if the veteran left ESPN. Considering that he signed a multi-year extension with ESPN in 2021, it's no secret the former NBA player would be leaving money on the table by stepping away.
Perkins makes a whopping $1.5 million, according to RepublicWorld.
Where did the rumor that Kendrick Perkins quit originate?
In the wake of Kendrick Perkins’ controversial take that Nikola Jokic was getting more MVP consideration because of his race, a rumor emerged on Twitter this week. The rumor originated from an account named NBACentral, which reported Perkins had been fired by ESPN while citing TMZ Sports as the source.
The tweet quickly racked up the views on Twitter, with a whopping 7.6M impressions according to Twitter analytics. Although the account name looked to be legitimate, the actual Twitter handle of ‘@TheNBACantrel’ paints a much clearer picture. In addition, upon checking, TMZ Sports did not report on any platform that Perkins had been fired.
Without any clarification from Perkins himself on Twitter, there was much speculation as to whether there was more taking place behind the scenes. As Brandon Scoop B Robinson was quick to report Wednesday morning, Perkins had not been fired, and he was en route to ESPN on Wednesday morning to resume his normal duties.
The fake ‘TheNBACantrel’ account, which posted the rumor seems to be trying to follow in the footsteps of BallsackSports by generating fake news to trick social media users. The account’s bio on Twitter proudly states that they have been featured on ESPN, Fox Sports, Sports Illustrated, and Yahoo.
In addition, the bio states that they are a parody account of the real NBACentral account. When taking a look back at the account’s previous Tweets prior to the Perkins rumor, it appears as though they have gone so far as to create fake quotes attributed to players and analysts.
Guess the Lakers players!
