Kendrick Perkins called out for betraying year-old promise of not voting on MVP again

Former NBA player and one-time champ Kendrick Perkins was recently called out for breaking his promise not to vote for awards this season. Perkins seemingly forgot to fulfill his vow after telling his followers on social media that he finished casting his votes.

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, SiriusXM Radio's Justine Termine called out "Big Perk" for backtracking on his promise. The eccentric ESPN analyst made the vow after realizing he was focused on analytics rather than trusting his gut and instincts.

Termine brought out the receipt, an audio of Perkins making the promise after he voted Rudy Gobert over Anthony Davis for Defensive Player of the Year. The former Boston Celtics big man was also criticized in 2023 for possibly creating a narrative against Nikola Jokic amid a tight race for the NBA MVP.

"My guy, here’s audio of you telling us last year you weren’t going to vote this year. What happened?" Termine tweeted.

Kendrick Perkins became an analyst for ESPN after his playing career ended in 2018. Perkins has turned into a personality on the sports network, often changing his stance at times, but he takes accountability when needed to. He has his detractors online but continues to work on national television.

Perkins was part of the iconic 2003 NBA Draft Class that was headlined by LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. He was the 27th overall pick out of Clifton J. Ozen High School in Beaumont, Texas. He won an NBA championship in 2008 as part of the Boston Celtics.

The former player made headlines in 2023 when he seemingly implied that voters were being "racist" toward Joel Embiid. While it's unclear if it affected the results of the voting, a narrative was created. The network even had to apologize for what Perkins insinuated and stated.

Nikola Jokic did get the last laugh when he led the Denver Nuggets to their first-ever NBA championship, and Embiid failed to make it past the second round again.

Another soundbite from Kendrick Perkins last year was when he called voting Rudy Gobert for DPOY over Anthony Davis his biggest regret as a basketball analyst. He was persuaded by Gobert's analytics-driven stats over AD passing the eye test.

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Kendrick Perkins reveals his votes for the 2025 NBA Awards

After revealing that he was a voter this year, Kendrick Perkins shared his ballot with his followers on X.

Here is the list:

• Most Valuable Player: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
• Most Improved Player: Ivica Zubac
• Defensive Player of the Year: Lu Dort
• Sixth Man of the Year: Payton Pritchard
• Clutch Player of the Year: Anthony Edwards
• Coach of the Year: Ime Udoka
• First Team All-NBA: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Cade Cunningham, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum and Nikola Jokic

The finalists for each NBA award will be announced on April 21, with the first three awards scheduled from April 23 to 25. Another award will be announced on April 28, then on May 7 and 8, with the MVP being revealed on the final day.