Kendrick Perkins accuses NBA of double standards against black players / News - Basketnews.com

Kendrick Perkins slammed Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, and Nikola Jokic for winning the MVP award and accused the NBA of having different standards for black players when it comes to voting for the trophy.

Credit: YouTube/ESPN Credit YouTube/ESPN

Nikola Jokic is the frontrunner to win the NBA MVP award for the third time in his career this season, and this has sparked some fiery conversations among media members in the US.

Nikola Jokic

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First, JJ Redick lashed out at Jokic's critics that say that he's stat-padding. One of them was former Boston Celtics center Kendrick Perkins. He's now decided to address it during the First Take show on ESPN today.

"When we talk about the MVP conversation, is it Oochie Wally or is it One Mic? That's what Jay-Z said. I just want to know what song are we dancing to. Because when I'm walking into the club, I got my jays on, I didn't know it was a dress code to put on church shoes," he started off.

Even though the first part of his monologue was focused on Jokic's stat-padding argument, he later turned the conversation to JJ Redick directly.

"When I say that and when I come here and ask what is the criteria for the MVP and how the goalpost is moved, I'm asking these questions for a reason," the former player said. "When I look at JJ and hear him talk because he's so big in analytics and he's a historian when it comes down to diving in deep and going back into history and talking about the evolution of the game."

"Why didn't he bring up this particular subject - when it comes down to guys winning MVPs since 1990, it's only three guys that won the MVP that wasn't Top-10 in scoring. Do you know who those three guys were? Steve Nash, Jokic, and Dirk Nowitzki. What do those guys have in common? I'll let it sit there and marinate, you think about it," Perkins told Stephen A. Smith.

Perkins then turned to the 2005-06 NBA season when Steve Nash won his second MVP trophy. He says that Kobe Bryant should have won the MVP that season and that Nash did not deserve it.

Dirk Nowitzki

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"Now here's the thing when it comes down about the MVP conversation and why I say the goalposts moved. It was during the time in 2006 when Steve Nash won his second MVP. When he had a roster full, he didn't have the best record in the league, and Kobe Bryant was averaging 31," Perkins said.

"When you go back and look at that 2006 roster that Kobe was playing with, they finished no. 7 in the Western Conference with that roster, which I don't understand how he did it with the team he had. No disrespect to those players but it is what it is. How was he not winning it leading the league in scoring that year?" the former player asked.

Perkins thinks it should be talked about more how the standards are being changed in certain moments of the league's history.

When bringing up these past two years, Jokic's Denver Nuggets being the 6th seed last season should've been more of a factor.

"Why is this subject not brought up?" Perkins said. "We've moved the goalposts so much. Don't come giving me that they're the number one seed in the Western Conference this year and he's averaging a triple-double, that's why he should be the clear-cut favorite."

"They weren't the number one seed last year, they were the number six seed - one see from being in the play-in tournament," he explained his view. "That my whole thing - why we move the goalposts for certain people and then for others we don't?"

To end his monologue, Perkins remembered that Chris Paul had a similar situation to Nash's several seasons ago. He says that the goalposts were moved once again.

"When I was trying to make a case two years ago for Chris Paul when I was saying 'hey, you know what, the Phoenix Suns, Chris Paul, same organization, same position, same results, why's he not getting the love that Steve Nash was getting when he was in Phoenix for as the MVP candidate or being the MVP frontrunner?' Am I missing something here, am I missing?" Perkins concluded.

Full discussion between Kendrick Perkins and Stephen A. Smith:

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