Kendrick Perkins is raising eyebrows again, this time with a bold take on Luka Doncic and his conditioning and whether former Mavericks owner Mark Cuban may have played a role.
The former NBA big man didn’t hold back in suggesting that Doncic may have been “pacified” during his early years in Dallas thanks to Cuban’s player-first approach.
“Can we put a little blame on the Dallas Mavericks?” Perkins asked during a recent episode of Road Trippin’. “Hold on, hold on, hear me out real quick. Mark Cuban is one of the, when it comes down to players, I don’t know any owner that has special relationships or cater to players more than Mark Cuban. Am I wrong or am I right?”
Podcast co-host Richard Jefferson chimed in, noting that Luka should be held accountable for his own conditioning.
Perkins acknowledged the point, but then doubled down.
“I know, R.J.,” Perkins said. “But just hear me out, just hear me out. Luka has been pacified, you know what I’m saying, since he got to the Dallas Mavericks. He came there. He put up big numbers. Mark Cuban has a history of pacifying players, right, catering to them in a different way. It’s facts.”
He went on to suggest that the shift in ownership and front office tone might have jolted Doncic into a different reality.
“He could have got spoiled, and all of a sudden, they sell the team, new ownership group, Nico Harrison. They like, ‘F– this.’ I don’t even wanna go down that hole. I’m just saying, Perk said. “I’m just throwing it out there.”
While Doncic’s physical shape has been a frequent point of debate, his performance on the floor remains undeniable.
Across 50 games with the Mavericks and Lakers this past season, the five-time All-Star still averaged 28.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 7.7 assists.
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