As the NBA gets set to head down to Orlando and resume the 2019-20 season, there are a lot of concerns from NBA players. One of those concerns is the health and safety of everybody involved. It is not easy to focus on basketball in the middle of a global pandemic, after all. These guys all have families to worry about.
Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid is one of those guys with a little apprehension about going to Orlando as he hated the idea, to begin with. He is going to play due to the fact that he does not want to let his teammates or the city of Philadelphia down, but he definitely has his concerns and they’re completely understandable.
That is hard to understand for others as former NBA player Kendrick Perkins ripped Embiid for his opinion as he said:
Do you want to hoop or not? I don’t hear none of the other contenders complain. I don’t hear Patrick Beverley complaining. He said check ball. I don’t hear LeBron James or Kawhi Leonard complaining. I don’t hear Jayson Tatum or Giannis complaining and all they talk about is how they go to try to defend a championship. I don’t see them complaining and by the way they got a tournament that’s going on right now, the TBT tournament in Cleveland, Ohio, and I’m pretty sure those guys are not gonna be in a billion dollar bubble, or they’re not in a great situation. They’re not complaining they down there hooping. I don’t want to hear all that. To me, this is just an excuse to get knocked out, this is going to be excused because the superstar was halfway here, his mental wasn’t there. Oh I’m complaining, I don’t know. I don’t like that idea. Man go down there and hoop! I ain’t trying to hear that man. That’s a billion dollar bubble!
Kendrick Perkins goes off on Joel Embiid for his fear of catching COVID-19 in the NBA bubble. Does Perkins have a point? (Via @FirstTake) pic.twitter.com/zml57E0NI1
— The Undefeated (@TheUndefeated) July 8, 2020
The fact that Perkins is ripping a guy for having health and safety as one of his main concerns in the middle of a global pandemic is absolutely asinine. While it is good for the league to resume and try to finish what it started, these guys are human at the end of the day and they have everyday concerns just like everybody else. There is no need for Perkins to rip Embiid the way he did. Especially when his reason is justified under these circumstances. [lawrence-related id=34313,34303,34291]