Kevin Durant’s four words validate Kendrick Perkins flexing his impact on OKC Thunder’s 2012 Finals run

Kevin Durant’s former teammate, Kendrick Perkins, clapped back at those who criticized his game. On a recent episode of “Gil’s Arena,” there was a topic about a hypothetical matchup between the 2012 and 2025 teams of the OKC Thunder. While discussing how a potential matchup would go down, former NBA star Kenyon Martin had something to say about Perk.

According to Martin, he believes the current ESPN analyst would be a liability for the 2012 team. It didn’t take long for Perkins to respond to the criticism about him being a potential liability. He went on a rant, saying that he was one of the main reasons why the Thunder made the NBA Finals that year.

He bragged about locking up stars like Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker. During that Finals run, the former NBA center averaged 4.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks. However, Perkins insisted that his defense of the stars was what put the team on the map.

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On X (formerly Twitter), Kevin Durant humorously backed up his former teammate with four words. Durant called the 2008 champion the "real MVP" of their run that year.

"The actual real mvp," Durant posted.

While Perkins believes he was one of the biggest reasons for the Thunder's emergence in the postseason that year, some would argue. Durant put up 28.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists in those playoffs.

His co-star, Russell Westbrook, also started to come into his own that year. Westbrook averaged 23.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists through four rounds. Lastly, an up-and-coming James Harden showed flashes of brilliance on the floor.

Harden had 16.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists that postseason. That was also the same year he won the Sixth Man of the Year and the year before he became an All-Star with the Houston Rockets.

Kevin Durant called Kendrick Perkins' comments 'crazy'

In February, Perkins caught the fans' attention with a statement he made during his time with the Thunder. According to him, he was the real leader of the team.

“It doesn’t mean your best player is your leader. When I was with the Thunder, it wasn’t KD, it wasn’t Russ, it wasn’t James, I was the one leading,” Perkins said.

He may have brought veteran leadership, but no one has claimed him the leader of that team. When Kevin Durant found out what Perkins said, he couldn't help but call his former teammate's comments "crazy."

"I know this may be a reach but this comment is by far the craziest s**t I’ve seen this week," Durant posted.

Although the team was young at that time, they saw Kevin Durant as the leader who carried them to playoff success.

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About the author

Reign Amurao

Reign Amurao specializes in basketball at Sportskeeda, bringing 3 years of experience to his role and a Bachelor's Degree in Communication.

A fervent supporter of the Phoenix Suns, Reign was hooked to their electrifying "Seven-Seconds-Or-Less" offense, which epitomizes high-paced and high-intensity basketball. For Reign, Steve Nash is the ultimate floor general, and he believes Boris Diaw could've been the next Magic Johnson if he had a bit more discipline. 

From Reign's perspective, Anthony Edwards is a 90s player stuck in modern times, and Gregg Popovich is an ultimate winner with unparalleled success and leadership in the sport.

Reign's expertise lies in NBA history, particularly the significant moments and trends of the 2000s and 2010s. He prioritizes in-depth research using only credible sources to maintain accuracy in his articles, and avoids misleading topics.

Beyond basketball, Reign enjoys gaming with friends and watches comedy shows and films.

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