NBA news: Kendrick Perkins claps back at Bill Simmons over ESPN ‘bitterness'
Former NBA center Kendrick Perkins fired back at Bill Simmons over recent comments the longtime analyst made about ESPN and its basketball coverage, calling Simmons 'bitter' during a pointed segment on the Road Trippin' podcast.
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Speaking with hosts Richard Jefferson, Channing Frye, and Allie Clifton, Perkins responded to Simmons' continued criticism of ESPN and its on-air talent, particularly former players who now work as analysts. Simmons, the founder of The Ringer and a former ESPN contributor, had taken aim at Perkins during the 2025 NBA Draft broadcast.
'That's my problem with you. You're gatekeeping,' Perkins said on the podcast. 'Who died and gave you the keys to say that you're the gatekeeper of basketball? Just because people don't speak the way you want them to speak, doesn't make it wrong. Just because ESPN doesn't cover it the way you would like them to cover the game of basketball or the tweaks you would like them to make doesn't make it wrong.'
Perkins continued:
'And it's crazy because Bill, y'all separated over a decade ago. And I'm talking about you and ESPN, and you're coming off bitter my guy. That's the way it's coming off.'
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The comments were in response to Simmons mocking Perkins' take during ESPN's NBA Draft coverage, when Perkins suggested that the Toronto Raptors — after selecting Collin Murray-Boyles with the No. 9 overall pick — should be a top-six team in the Eastern Conference. Simmons called the remark laughable and ridiculed both the ESPN and ABC broadcasts for their draft analysis.
Kendrick Perkins tells Bill Simmons to move on from ESPN bitterness
Simmons, who left ESPN in 2015 after a high-profile split, has repeatedly criticized the network's direction and its growing reliance on former players as television analysts. He has also mocked other athlete-turned-commentators like Draymond Green, calling into question their objectivity and media insight.
Perkins, a staple of ESPN's NBA coverage over the past few years, didn't hold back when addressing Simmons' ongoing commentary about the network.
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'I mean ESPN can't fart without you having something to say about it,' Perkins said. 'If they pass gas you want it to smell like perfume. Why? That's not how it is. And we're all going to have our time when it comes to an end. Hell, I don't know when my time is going to come to an end at ESPN, but I won't be bitter. Bro move on, get over it.'
Simmons' criticisms come amid a broader debate within sports media about the role of former players in analyst roles. ESPN has invested heavily over the last decade in bringing in athletes across all major sports to provide insight and personality to their coverage. While that strategy has faced pushback from traditional journalists and analysts, the network continues to prioritize on-air voices with playing experience, such as Perkins and Jefferson. Former ESPN analysts like JJ Redick, who is now head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, also rose through that model.
As of now, Simmons has not publicly responded to Perkins' remarks.
Related: Siegel's Scoop: Latest Warriors' Jonathan Kuminga, NBA free agency intel
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