Kendrick Perkins Makes Ridiculous Claim Regarding Shedeur Sanders
Kendrick Perkins has a knack for saying things that make you tilt your head and wonder if you heard him correctly. The former NBA center, now an ESPN analyst, has made a second career out of saying crazy takes that make you lose brain cells. But his latest one gives me headaches. He straight-up compared Cleveland Browns rookie QB Shedeur Sanders to former President Barack Obama.
During a recent podcast, Perkins unleashed this gem: “Shedeur Sanders is the most powerful Black man since 2009. You know what happened in 2009? That’s when President Obama got elected in office.” Yes, this is an actual thing Perkins said; the video of it is down below.
A rookie quarterback who has started a single NFL game is being put in the same sentence, in terms of power and influence, as the first African American President of the United States. It’s a comparison so ludicrous that many are starting to think Kendrick Perkins has CTE.
The Sanders-Obama Take Is a Bridge Too Far
Perkins didn’t stop there. He claimed Sanders is “bringing the whole Black community together” and that he hasn’t “ran across one Black person that done said one bad thing about Shedeur.” Apparently, Perk needs to get out more. Social media immediately erupted with fans, many of them Black, begging him to stop talking.
Obama wasn’t just a political figure; he was and still is a global phenomenon. His election represented a seismic shift in American history. He commanded the most powerful military on the planet and signed laws that affected the lives of over 300 million people.
Shedeur Sanders? He threw for 209 yards and one touchdown in his first NFL start against the Raiders. It was a decent debut, a solid win, but let’s be real—it’s not exactly the equivalent of passing the Affordable Care Act. To equate the two isn’t just an exaggeration; it’s a disservice to the monumental achievements of Obama.
This Isn’t About Race, It’s About Performance
Sports talk host Doug Gottlieb correctly pointed out the absurdity of this angle from Perkins, noting that the quarterback controversy in Cleveland earlier this season involved Dillon Gabriel, who is also a person of color. The issue has never been about skin color; it’s been about quarterback play.
Sanders has a polarizing personality, much like his father, Deion. He’s confident, flashy, and isn’t afraid to tell you how great he is. After his first win, he boldly stated, “A lot of people want to see me fail and… it ain’t gonna happen.” That kind of bravado can be thrilling when you’re winning, but it puts an enormous target on your back.
Shedeur Sanders Needs To Earn His Stripes
The pressure is now squarely on Shedeur’s shoulders. His first home start against the formidable San Francisco 49ers will be a true test. The 49ers’ defense isn’t the Raiders’. They are a disciplined, ferocious unit that preys on inexperienced quarterbacks. How Sanders handles that pressure will tell us a lot more about his future than any hot take from an ESPN analyst.
The hype around Sanders is undeniable. He has made the franchise relevant in a way it hasn’t been for years. But relevance and “power” are two very different things.
Final Thoughts
Perkins may have succeeded in getting attention, but his take is a prime example of the hyperbole that plagues modern sports media. Sanders is not the next Barack Obama. He’s a rookie quarterback with a lot of potential and even more to prove. Let’s let him play football and see if he can become a powerful force on the field before we anoint him the most powerful man in anything. For now, the comparison by Perkins is just, well, ridiculous.
