Richard Jefferson goes viral for NBA playoff comments, gets defense from Kendrick Perkins
Jefferson was clowned on social media by aggregators.
Richard Jefferson is one of the rising stars at ESPN.
He joined sports network in 2019 and has become a fixture as a prominent analyst on "NBA Today" as well as the color commentator for the network's second NBA broadcast duo alongside Ryan Ruocco.
The 17-year NBA veteran is known for his sarcastic antics that gained fame when he started his podcast, "Road Trippin,'" alongside former Cleveland Cavaliers teammate Channing Frye when the two were still playing in the NBA in the late 2010s.
But as with any media personality, Jefferson has faced some criticism for his takes, with one in particular doozy coming on Sunday, April 21 as he was calling Game 1 of the First Round series between the Dallas Mavericks and the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Clippers had wrapped up the win, which prompted Jefferson, who won a championship with the Cavaliers, to indicate that the the Mavericks actually had an advantage in losing.
"The thing about these 7-game series is the team that loses has the advantage."
Richard Jefferson:
“The thing about these 7-game series is the team that loses has the advantage.”
(via @ESPNNBA) pic.twitter.com/MxuHLB490S— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) April 22, 2024
The quote was aggregated by accounts like LegionHoops on social media, and the comments clowned Jefferson for his statement.
However, Jefferson's statement seemed to be taken out of context, as the NBA veteran's next statements after the line meant to say that the losing team is likely the one that would make adjustments while the winning team mostly stays put.
Still, aggregation accounts sometimes fail to put the full context, especially in short form websites like X (formerly Twitter), which allowed many fans on social media to express their distaste.
Jefferson's colleague, Kendrick Perkins, did come to his aid on X. Perkins, who often jokingly argues with Jefferson on "NBA Today" about differing points of view about the NBA, listed the credibility of Jefferson to validate his point.
"Yall might want to listen when a brother like @Rjeff24 has played in 140 playoff games, 4 NBA Finals appearances and 1 NBA Championship," Perkins wrote. "I think he just might know a thing or two when it comes to the postseason."
Yall might want to listen when a brother like @Rjeff24 has played in 140 playoff games, 4 NBA Finals appearances and 1 NBA Championship. I think he just might know a thing or two when it comes to the postseason. Carry the hell on… https://t.co/djiEfScNWl— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) April 22, 2024
It's unfortunate that media members and players alike are often aggregated without context — though there are at least some people who are trying to come to their defense, whether it's colleagues like Perkins or other people in the comments of these posts who try to put out the full picture.
They took it out of context he meat that when u lose u can analyze what they did right an u did wrong….when u win there’s not much to change….he was talking about from a scheme point of view not the outcome of the series— Anti-Deposit (@AntiDeposit) April 22, 2024
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