ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins got called out for his misleading take on Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The 2024-25 NBA season has been far from ideal for the Milwaukee Bucks as they had a poor start to the campaign.
But as the season has progressed, the Bucks have managed to find their stride. Of course, they won the 2025 NBA Cup and will finish as the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference.
2x NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo is undoubtedly the biggest reason behind the team’s turnaround. But it seems like ESPN overlooked Giannis’ numbers this season.
So far, the Greek Freak has played in 67 games for the Bucks this season. In those appearances, he has averaged a terrific 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game.
Antetokounmpo has also shot an impressive 60.1% from the field. If all goes well, it will his second straight season of shooting more than 60% from the floor.
Despite having these numbers, ESPN recently uploaded a video with the title ‘Is Giannis washed?’ Evidently, it was an attempt to get more views on the clip, but it ended up with the Bucks’ official X handle calling them out.
“Giannis is literally playing as well as he ever has,” Bucks wrote on X.
This is the perfect example of how media narratives can diminish a player’s chances of getting end-of-season awards. After all, looking at Antetokounmpo’s numbers, he should be one of the top names to win the regular-season MVP award.
Unfortunately, the media has pushed for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander vs Nikola Jokic debate for the MVP honors, essentially overlooking Giannis’ achievements.
The controversial take, which was called out by the Bucks, was essentially misinterpreted due to a poor video title.
After all, ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins claimed that Antetokounmpo is the second-best power forward in NBA history, only trailing San Antonio Spurs legend Tim Duncan.
“In my eyes, Giannis is the second-best power forward of all time, behind Tim Duncan… Him being able to make guys around him better at a high-rate. Every time I look up, Giannis is getting a triple-double.”
Following this take, Perkins did mention that Antetokounmpo has a chance at reminding fans about his talent in the playoffs, especially with Damian Lillard likely to miss a chunk due to a blood clot.
“This is an opportunity for Giannis to go into this postseason and show the world, ‘I’m Giannis Antetokounmpo. I’m still one of the best, if not the best player in the world.’”
Perkins concluded his statement by claiming if the Bucks meet the Indiana Pacers in the opening round of the postseason, Antetokounmpo could single-handedly push the series to seven games or even win it for the Bucks.
