The LeBron vs. Jordan debate isn’t just for fans—it has real consequences. Kendrick Perkins revealed that since he started calling LeBron the GOAT, his ties with Michael Jordan soured. Perkins, who once had a Jordan Brand deal, said the perks vanished after his bold take.“I was with Jordan for two years… I’d get J’s before release,” he recalled. “Then I called LeBron the GOAT, and the boxes stopped.”said Big Perks in contrast to Stephen A Smith’s opinion of MJ being the GOAT.
His story proves even NBA legends hold grudges. If you thought this debate was just talk, Perkins’ missing sneaker shipments say otherwise. And now he might be trying to get some Jordans back. The former big man, who shared the court with LeBron during the Cavaliers’ 2017-18 season, had some strong words for the Lakers superstar.
During an ESPN segment on Thursday morning, Perkins ripped into the Lakers star’s ongoing complaints about how the league is covered. “LeBron James needs to stop. He needs to stop,” Perkins fired off, clearly over it. “I’m so sick of him with this ‘oh how the league is covered’ because he wanted to be covered a certain way… Everything that comes out of LeBron James’ mouth ain’t the d*** gospel.”.
Jan 28, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) reacts after a play during the first quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
After Kendrick Perkins tore into the 21x All-Star for complaining about media coverage, Jay Williams, another ESPN analyst wasn’t having it. The ESPN drama isn’t just playing out on live TV—it’s spilling onto social media too. In a now-deleted tweet, he clapped back at the narrative, writing, “Players today are NOT less sensitive than the players back in the 90s. All players have fought back against false narratives. Stop the cap.”. Along with a video of MJ in which he can be heard saying, “It’s a attack in my private life, and I really didn’t like it. I don’t don’t agree with it, but I felt I need to come out and express that until the truth…. For my standpoint, anything else that you hear is totally false if it’s not to what I just told you. And that’s, that’s the honest truth. That’s all I can tell you.”
Williams strategically highlighted a moment when Jordan expressed frustration with media narratives about his personal life. In doing so, he proves that players from every era—from the ’90s to today—object to how the media covers them.
But Perkins wasn’t done stirring the pot. Shifting gears, he took aim at LeBron’s latest project—his podcast Mind The Game. Perkins questioned why James, despite having a long history with high-IQ basketball minds like Channing Frye, Phil Handy, Draymond Green, and Richard Jefferson, chose Steve Nash as his co-host instead.
That’s when Jefferson jumped in, calling out Perkins’ take and reminding him that LeBron has made plenty of appearances on Road Trippin’, the podcast Jefferson co-hosts with Frye on X. With Williams and Jefferson both disputing Perkins’ claims, the divide at ESPN was becoming more obvious. With multiple ESPN analysts openly siding with LeBron, the battle lines are drawn. What started as just another LeBron vs. Stephen A. clash has now turned into a full-on rift inside ESPN, where even the network’s own personalities can’t seem to agree on how to cover the four-time champ.
But while the drama inside the network played out, LeBron had other matters to address—like throwing subtle shots at the Dallas Mavericks over their handling of Luka Doncic’s departure.
LeBron James calls out the Mavs over the Luka Doncic trade
The 4x Champion didn’t mince words when discussing Doncic’s shocking trade from the Mavericks during his Pat McAfee Show appearance. While James has never experienced a trade himself, he made it clear he understood how blindsided Dončić must have felt.
“You commit to a franchise for seven years and think, ‘This is where I’m going to be,’” James said. “And then out of nowhere, bam, you just get traded. I don’t give a damn where you’re going… That’s a shock to your system.”
It wasn’t just sympathy—LeBron was calling out how the Mavericks handled the move. Doncic, the heart and soul of Dallas for seven seasons, was gearing up for an extension before getting shipped out unexpectedly. The decision left fans stunned and put Mavs GM Nico Harrison under fire, with criticism still piling up nearly two months later.
Feb 27, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) celebrates with forward LeBron James (23) after making a basket during the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images
To justify the trade, Dallas’ front office tried shifting the narrative, releasing statements that painted Doncic in a negative light. Instead of quieting the backlash, it only fueled more outrage, making the team look even worse.
LeBron’s comments threw fresh gasoline on a fire that refuses to burn out. The shockwaves of the trade are still being felt across the league, and with James speaking out, the conversation isn’t dying down anytime soon.
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