Could Kendrick Perkins' Claim Of MVP Voting Racial Bias Have Impacted Steve Nash/Shaquille O'Neal Race in 2005?
ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins is known for pushing buttons with his opinion.
His latest comments regarding the NBA MVP race are perhaps his most controversial. On ESPN's "First Take" Wednesday, Perkins suggested there is a racial bias against black players in the NBA vote. He pointed out only three white players _ Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, Nikola Jokic _ have won the award without ranking among in the Top 10 in scoring since 1990.
“What do those guys have in common?” Perkins asked. “I’ll let it sit there and marinate. You think about it…When it comes down to moving the goal posts for certain individuals to win it, again, is it Oochie Wally? Or is it One Mic? What song are we actually dancing to right now, why is this subject not brought up?”
The Miami Heat were involved when Nash won his first MVP in 2005. Many felt Heat center Shaquille O'Neal, in his first season, should have won the award. It was a close race after Nash averaged 15.5 points and led the league with 11.5 assists while leading the Phoenix Suns to an NBA-best 62 wins, a 33-game improvement from the previous season.
O'Neal made a similar impact in Miami, averaging 22.9 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.3 blocks for the Heat, who improved by 17 games and made the Eastern Conference finals.
Still, Nash edged ONeal in first-place votes (65-58) and total points voting (1,066-1.032). While Perkins' claim may be considered invalid, he at least created a talking point.
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