Former NBA Star Kendrick Perkins Claims He Got Death Threats Over Giannis Antetokounmpo Take

Kendrick Perkins says a 2021 opinion about Giannis Antetokounmpo led to violent messages aimed at his family.

On the Road Trippin’ podcast, the former Celtics center and ESPN analyst recalled the backlash after he framed the Milwaukee Bucks’ championship core in comic book terms during the 2021 NBA Finals.

“I started getting a death threat,” Perkins said, explaining that the messages were sent to his wife’s account and included lines like, “I am going to kill your kids. I know where you stay. I am going to murder you.”

Perkins’ original comment centered on how he viewed the Bucks’ hierarchy that postseason. “I’ve been preaching time and time again that [Khris Middleton is] the Batman of this team and Giannis is the Robin,” he said back in 2021, adding, “it’s okay to be the Robin — people think that’s a bad thing. It’s not.”

According to Perkins, he escalated the threats to his employer. He said he shared the messages with ESPN, which helped identify the sender. “They found the dude and locked him up,” Perkins said on the podcast.

He added that the person later tried to downplay the intent, but Perkins’ response was firm: “No, no. I wasn’t serious”—“you’re going to jail. Don’t play like that.”

The story surfaced while Perkins and the hosts discussed the growing intersection of basketball and betting. The conversation touched on Michael Porter Jr., who recently warned about pressure tied to player-prop wagers and the extreme reactions that can follow when bets lose. Perkins said Porter Jr. has also received threats from bettors over on-court outcomes.

That topic led to Jontay Porter, who was banned from the NBA for manipulating his player props by exiting games with alleged illnesses or injuries so under bets would cash.

Perkins contrasted that case with the threats he and others have described, urging players who encounter similar messages to involve the league immediately.