It was the Boston Celtics’ first duck boat parade in 16 years, and fans were ready to celebrate. But something—or rather, someone—was missing. Kendrick Perkins, an iconic figure in Celtics history, was absent. As fans cheered on their favorite players, whispers about Perkins’ no show began to swirl. Why? Because of Perk’s remarks about the current Celtics roster, particularly Jayson Tatum and coach Joe Mazzulla. Was it a deliberate snub by the Celtics, or was there more to the story? Now, Perkins is speaking out but with an unexpected reaction.
“I don’t give a f-ck,” Perkins boldly declared when Matt Barnes questioned if the Celtics had actually barred him from parade and banner night. Perkins wasn’t pulling any punches, delving right into the backstory. “I said a take about Joe Mazzulla on television one day, and it was during the regular season. And again, they clipped it off and cut the back end of it,” he said, adding a little frustration over how things went down.
To Perk, it was a straightforward analysis. He’d made a point about the team’s reliance on the three-point shot. He suggested that it wasn’t the only “recipe for success.” Perkins joked that while Mazzulla might look like a “genius” when the team hit threes, the Celtics’ reliance on them was risky. He quipped, “If you put [Mazzulla’s brain] in a bird, the bird is going to fly backward” when the shots don’t land. It was classic Perkins—blunt, maybe a little brash, but purely basketball talk.
However, Perkins felt that his comments had been twisted: “They clipped it off and cut the back end of it.” However, he was sad as “Everybody got pissed off at me about that take in the organization, right? But nobody called me on it,” he shared on the podcast.
However, recent news also suggested that Kendrick Perkins was actually trying to get an invitation to join the banner night. But Perk reshared a part of that report on his X account and wrote, “Sounds like you’re wrong. This is completely false. I never had plans on attending Banner Night and I’ve never reached out to anyone in the Celtics organization about attending Banner Night. Carry the hell on.” And not only that, as per Perk, even if he has an invitation to join the parade, he will never join.
Why Perk won’t join the parade?
Kendrick Perkins isn’t losing any sleep over the Celtics snub. While reports claim team owner Wyc Grousbeck barred him from Boston’s iconic duck boat parade, Perkins seems completely unfazed. “Was I the only 2008 member missing from the duck boat? No, I wasn’t,” he pointed out, noting other teammates who also sat out. Perkins admitted on the Mark Jackson Show, “Nine times out of 10, I would’ve turned it down, even if they had extended the invite.”
But Perkins didn’t hold back about the Boston fanbase’s loyalty expectations. He described it as a “sense of entitlement.” He said, “Boston fans, they expect you to be married to them for life,” hinting at the pressure some fans place on former players.
Even with all this, Perkins still gives credit where it’s due. “They raised me,” he acknowledged, recognizing the Celtics’ role in his journey. Yet he’s left that chapter behind. Perkins has only returned to Boston for work-related visits since retiring.“I haven’t been back to Boston on my own dime since I was traded from there in 2011,” he admitted. For Perkins, his Celtics days are firmly in the past.
