“Well Perk, the reason why you won’t is cause he’s white" - Pat McAfee reacts to Kendrick Perkins' claim of ESPN not marketing Jokic
Much has been made of the coverage and hype around Nikola Jokic. Arguably the best player in basketball, many in the media and even his coach, Michael Malone, have been asking for more coverage of the Denver superstar.
Sports commentator Pat McAfee had an interesting discussion about the coverage of Jokic on his show with ESPN NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins. McAfee asked Perkins why ESPN and other national networks did not show more Nuggets games to showcase Jokic. McAfee also had a humorous theory.
“Well Perk, the reason why you won’t is cause he’s white," McAfee said with a laugh.
"Nikola Jokić is the most skilled center to ever touch the damn basketball"
@KendrickPerkins #PMSLive https://t.co/MVfoPDYfCJ
Perkins also laughed at the notion, as it was said in a joking manner. It does spark an interesting theory, as more of the NBA stars are coming from beyond the United States and do not have the typical NBA body frame. Jokic is the epitome of this.
Perkins went on to agree with McAfee and said his network, ESPN, should take some blame for not promoting Jokic. He says the hype should have started much earlier.
“We are to blame, that is us as the media and us as the network,” Perkins said. “We shouldn’t have to wait until the NBA Finals to appreciate Jokic.”
The former NBA center had high praise for Jokic’s game.
“He is the most skilled center to ever touch the damn basketball,” Perkins said. “Everytime he shoots, I think it is going in.”
Jokic is more than just a great scorer. The two-time MVP is also great at the fundamentals of basketball. He involves his teammates in incredible ways and has an incredible basketball IQ.
He is already of the best passing big men of all time, despite his young age. Perkins thinks those skills should be showcased more.
Jokic makes an absurd pass and the Joker approves 😂 https://t.co/2bWSfw8rII
“We should do a better job of promoting and marketing him,” Perkins said. “If you want to show someone how to play basketball the correct way, you have to show them Jokic.”
Nikola Jokic's season stats
Jokic finished second in MVP voting this season, behind Joel Embiid. He won the previous two MVP awards.
Jokic nearly averaged a triple-double this season. He was 24th in the league in scoring with 24.5 points per game. He grabbed 11.8 rebounds and dished out 9.8 assists per game.
He led the Nuggets to their first-ever NBA Finals. He is averaging a triple-double during their playoff run with 30.4 ppg, 12.9 rpg and 10.1 apg.