There’s a certain satisfaction that hits different when you’re finally proven right – not by a podcast, not by a tweet, but by the actual architect of the story you lived. For Kendrick Perkins, that moment arrived in the form of a microphone, a memory, and a mic-drop from none other than Sam Presti. Perkins has long told anyone who’d listen, and plenty who wouldn’t, that he wasn’t just a body in the paint during his Thunder days. He was the locker room leader. The enforcer. The vet that set the tone for a young OKC core. But over time, the internet’s favorite pastime became doubting Perk’s leadership claims. A few memes here, a cap emoji there… and suddenly his legacy in OKC was being reduced to a punchline. Well, not anymore.
During Presti’s end-of-season media availability, the Thunder GM made it crystal clear: “Perk really is a unique figure in our history because he changed a lot of things when he got here. I think he won like 75 percent of the games he played in here… He helped change the program 100 percent.” And when Presti speaks, Thunder Nation listens, because, of course, they do. Perkins reposted the clip like a man settling scores. His caption?
Classic Perk: “Appreciate the love Presti and it’s love for life @okcthunder.” But it was his Instagram Story that did the real damage. “Some tried to call me ‘’ when I said I was the leader in that locker room but here it is right outta the horse’s mouth!!!!” Man, that’s a lot of question marks turned into exclamation marks. And well, the timing couldn’t have been sweeter.
Perkins had just received a standing ovation at Paycom Center during the NBA Finals, a full-circle moment for a guy who once helped drag OKC from scrappy to serious. No, his stat lines didn’t scream franchise cornerstone. But if you ask Presti, his leadership sure did. But that’s not all, people.
Perkins finally gets his due credit
“From the first day he got here, he just raised the basketball acumen in the building in a way that was, like, really significant,” Presti added. “He helped us go from a fun team to a contending team.” That’s not cap. That’s canon. Why?
Because Perk’s arrival in OKC coincided with the rise of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden. The Thunder didn’t only just start winning, but also started acting like a team that expected to win. That shift, Presti said, was in large part thanks to Perkins. Even if fans couldn’t always see it on the box score.
Jan 18, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) and center Kendrick Perkins (5) look on from the bench against the Orlando Magic during the second half at Amway Center. Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Orlando Magic 127-99. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
During his five seasons with the Thunder, Perkins started 225 of 273 games. He averaged 4.2 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. Nothing flashy… unless you count the scowls, stare-downs, and occasional Grown Man screens that left defenders checking their dental work. Still, the narrative had drifted.
Time passed. Memes flourished. And that OG locker room presence got treated like revisionist history, until Presti set it straight. It’s rare and almost wholesome to see a franchise executive so emphatically rewrite the public record. But it was also overdue, rightly so.
Because when you’ve helped build a culture, you don’t just deserve applause. You deserve the receipts. And Kendrick Perkins just got his, straight from the horse’s mouth. So let’s just say, the next time someone drops a cap on his timeline… it might be best to delete it before Perk reposts it with a grin.
The post OKC Thunder Locker Room Reveal Finally Calms Kendrick Perkins After Facing Liar Tag appeared first on EssentiallySports.