We already know that Skip Bayless doesn’t leave a stone unturned when he wants to make a point. Moreover, if making that point gives him the chance to somewhat take a shot at LeBron James, he’s going to do it. Honestly, I almost admire the way he connects the dots.
Needless to say, he wasn’t going to just sit out while Kendrick Perkins and Kevin Durant are back again with their online beef after KD called Perkins a sellout on Instagram for his comments towards Kyrie Irving.
So Skip went on in Undisputed to explain why Durant called him that way, claiming he used to be his protector during his time in Oklahoma:
“I believe that Kevin Durant means that Kendrick Perkins sold him out for LeBron James. That’s what is going down. Here we go. For four years in Oklahoma City – I will remind everybody. Kendrick Perkins was Kevin Durant’s enforcer. He was his bodyguard. He was his personal protector.
That relationship ran so deep that when Kevin did win the MVP in 2014 he thanked Kendrick in his MVP speech. It’s the best speech Kevin’s ever given and it was straight from the heart, like everybody cried, it brought tears to Russell Westbrook’s eyes, remember that? And in that speech he said: ‘Kendrick Perkins, I hated you before you got here but the moment you got here you changed my whole perception of you’,” Skip started.”
And then on a strange – yet not unexpected – turn of events, Bayless said that Durant was actually hurt by the way Perkins turned his attention towards LeBron James, claiming he’s become his number 1 PR man and going as far as to suggest he may be on LeBron’s payroll:
“Now in a little bit of a surprise if not a shock to me, Kendrick Perkins has become LeBron’s number 1 PR man and number 1 superfan on every TV show he does and all over social media. He does nothing but protect LeBron and it’s starting to come across to me if Kendrick almost considers himself part of LeBron’s inner circle.
(…) And if I didn’t know any better because this has gotten so personal, it almost comes across like Perk is on LeBron’s payroll. I’m not suggesting it but that’s how it feels like. Like LeBron actually directs him to say ‘Oh, I need you to do that for me’,” he continued.”
Bayless later kept on connecting the dots in perfect Skip Bayless fashion, concluding that Perkins was in fact a sellout for constantly defending LeBron James and attacking not only KD but his close friend Kyrie.
Apparently, LeBron felt threatened by Kyrie’s stance as an activist and told Perkins to go on record blasting Irving to protect his image. Once again, that’s all according to Skip’s conspiracy theory:
“As the bandwagon started to roll for Kevin being the best player on the planet, all of a sudden, Kendrick is turning up the heat on Kevin and now on Kevin’s best friend Kyrie. It almost felt like now that Kyrie is there to challenge LeBron’s authority, challenge his prominence as clearly the number 1 activist in all sports by saying ‘Hey, I’m gonna lead a coalition of players who shouldn’t go to Orlando’.
(…) All of a sudden it put LeBron in an awkward position because he’s been the number 1 activist because he thinks ‘Oh, I do want to play’. (…) and it felt like it was almost LeBron telling Kendrick ‘you have to go put him in his place’,” Bayless concluded.”
As per usual, everything that comes out of Skip Bayless’ mouth will always sound kind of fishy. He’s an entertainer and he gives people what they want. As for Kendrick and Durant, it doesn’t seem like that once close friendship is ever going to be like that again.
.@RealSkipBayless reacts to Kevin Durant calling Kendrick Perkins a "sellout" for critiquing Kyrie pic.twitter.com/ZZnwgDLkJa
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) June 18, 2020
