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Newly acquired Kendrick Perkins is one of the toughest guys in our NBA today. He never backs down from a challenge and will often protect the team’s superstar(s) from getting into physical altercations and possibly ejections due to the heat of the moment. Here, we take a look at some of things you didn’t know about Kendrick Perkins starting with number 8:
8. Kendrick Perkins Did Not Go To College
That’s right, Perkins made the jump from Clifton J. Ozen High School in Beaumont, Texas directly to the NBA. He originally committed to the play for the University of Memphis, but instead decided to enter the draft. After graduating in 2003, Perkins was drafted in the 1st round, 27th over all.
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7. Perkins Comedic Contributions
Although Perkins is a center, all centers want to play a little point guard sometimes. That has made Perkins a regular on TNT’s Shaqtin’ A Fool show. Here are some of his bests:
Perkins Lob
Perkins In The Post
Perkins Directing Traffic
Perkins a.k.a. Best Dr. J.
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6. Perkins Has Buzzer Beater On His Resume!
That’s right! In Game 2 of the playoffs between the Thunder and Grizzlies, Perkins put back a missed jumper by Westbrook to tie the game up and send it to overtime! Here’s the clip:
Sue Okrocki
5. Perkins Worst (Ouch)
In the midst of a struggling 2012 postseason for Perkins, he posted the worst Playoff PER (Player Efficiency Rating) in NBA history for a player who’s played over 200 minutes at -0.7. Back then, he was the starting center for the Oklahoma City Thunder and while it’s tough to expect a player without much of an offensive game to do much on that side, Perk really struggled as he had 24 points, 24 turnovers, 39 fouls, and only five blocked shots in 23 minutes per game. It’s worth noting that Perkins had ACL surgery in the summer of 2010 and hasn’t looked the same since.
Brian Babineau | Getty Images
4. Perkins Was A Top Rated Player Coming Into NBA
Per rivals.com, a basketball recruiting website, Perkins was considered the number 3 rated center and number 6 player in the country overall. And with good reason! During his senior year, he averaged 27.5 points, 16.4 rebounds, and 7.8 blocked shots per game. In that year, he led his team to a 33-1 record overall.
Elsa | Getty Images
3. Perkins Is Not As Mean As He Looks!
Kendrick Perkins is infamous for his intimidating scowl and no-playing around mentality when it’s game time. But past teammates of Perkins say that it’s just a front. Ray Allen had this to say when he played with Perkins in Boston:
“People always ask me why he’s so mad. Is he that mean? He always has a scowl on his face. I say, no. Perkins, he’s a teddy bear. He’s just out there intimidating, blocking shots, that’s all.”
Former Celtics coach Doc Rivers also talked about the oft-frowning Perkins:
“Perk is a great guy. I think everybody sees his body language and his scowl and they think differently of him. To those who know him, he’s absolutely a terrific guy, funny. But he’s not trying to have fun when the game starts.”
To this day, Perkins says he and the Celtics’ starters from their latest championship season keep in touch very often and help each other out with anything they might be dealing with.
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2. Kendrick Perkins Is Married…With A Kid!
The always scary looking Kendrick Perkins has been married to his longtime girlfriend Vanity Alpough since July 25, 2009. He also has a son, Kendrick Perkins II, who was born in 2007.
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1. Religious Perk
Kendrick Perkins was an altar boy as a child, but it was often difficult to find him an alb that suited his constantly growing body! Could you imagine younger Perkins as an altar boy knowing how intimidating he looks now?