Former LeBron James teammate snubs Nikola Jokic, names Lakers star NBA’s no. 1 player

Crediting LeBron James for Los Angeles Lakers' recent surge, ESPN's Kendrick Perkins lauds the 40-year-old as the "best player in the NBA"

Former LeBron James teammate snubs Nikola Jokic, names Lakers star NBA’s no. 1 player

Kendrick Perkins puts LeBron James ahead of MVP lead runner, Nikola Jokic

Lakers are the hottest team in the NBA right now which could be attributed to Luka Doncic pairing with the 40-year-old LeBron James. Since Luka’s acquisition, the whole roster looks revitalized, especially the aging King. As of this week, James is fifth on the Kia MVP race, while Nikola Jokic is leading the race. However, one of James former teammate thinks otherwise.

While the Lakers prepare to host New Orleans on Monday, ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins appeared on First Take to give a shoutout to his former Cavaliers brodie. While Kia’s MVP ladder puts the Serbian center at the top, Perkins raised the question: “Are we sure that Nikola Jokic is the best player in the league?”

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I would have to argue…. right now today that LeBron James is the best player in the NBA… LeBron James is getting it done at the age of 40 on both ends of the floor at a high level.

Kendrick Perkins on ESPN

Perkins continued, lauding the 40-year-old James for his unique ability to play all five positions on the court. Perk went as far as to say, that if Lakers needed LeBron to play the center, he would be “the second-best center in the Western conference, behind Nikola Jokic”. These high praises are especially noteworthy, considering how the two former teammates haven’t been seeing eye to eye lately.

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Recently, he publicly criticized LeBron James over his last-minute snub from the All-Star Game. His frustration stemmed from the belief that James’ indecision robbed up-and-coming players like Norman Powell of a chance to shine. He argued that had James been upfront about his intentions from the start, it could have allowed other deserving players to get their moment in the spotlight.

Kendrick Perkins defends LeBron James amid Luka-AD trade debate

Ever since the NBA community got blindsided by the trade of Luka Doncic being swapped for Anthony Davis, fans have been alleging that James had prior knowledge of the deal. However, Big Perk recently took to Twitter and posted a video to put the fan rumors to rest once and for all, although he acknowledged that he and Bron have been butting heads more than usual lately.

Man, y’all stop with that dumba** narratives… Man stop playing. Bron ain’t know a damn thing about this trade.

Kendrick Perkins tweeted

Perkins doubled down on his assessment, saying that Rich Paul, the renowned sports agent who manages both LeBron James and Anthony Davis, probably wasn’t even aware of it. He also highlighted that the Mavericks’ front office wasn’t willing to pay $400 million to an athlete who wasn’t taking training camps seriously.