Shedeur Sanders Is the Most Powerful Black Man Since Barack Obama? Kendrick Perkins Makes Bizarre Claim

Kendrick Perkins claimed that he has not seen someone unite the black community as Shedeur Sanders has since Barack Obama became the President of the USA.

Shedeur Sanders Is the Most Powerful Black Man Since Barack Obama? Kendrick Perkins Makes Bizarre Claim

Shedeur Sanders and Kendrick Perkins inside the circle (Image via IMAGO)

Ahead of his second NFL season with the Cleveland Browns, quarterback Shedeur Sanders received resounding praise from one of basketball’s greatest ever players. Kendrick Perkins, retired Oklahoma Thunder great, claimed that the son of Hall of Famer Deion Sanders is the most powerful Black man since Barack Obama became the United States President.

Perkins drew the parallel after seeing the adversities Sanders went through to become the starter in Cleveland during his rookie campaign. He did not receive first-team reps until the coaches named him QB1.

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. He’s the most powerful Black man since 2009.

Kendrick Perkins said

Sanders helped Colorado reclaim its past glory as a solid college football program. He finished with 4000+ yards and recorded the best pass completion average (74%) during his senior year. Mock drafts projected him to be the first player off the board in the 2025 NFL draft. However, he fell to day three before the Browns selected him in the fifth round, even though they had drafted Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel a couple of rounds earlier.

He was buried in the depth chart, falling to fourth choice until the Browns traded Kenny Pickett to the Raiders. Joe Flacco won the QB battle and carried the team for the first few games. However, a string of defeats forced the Browns to bench him in favor of Gabriel. DG followed the same trajectory as his predecessor.

Sanders finally had the chance to prove the doubters wrong. And though he wasn’t particularly successful in torching opposing defenses, there were signs to back his early first-round projections. The Browns, perennial bottom feeders, finally had something to be excited about. Fans flocked to the stadiums, and even past greats and friends of the Sanders family came to see Shedeur perform at NFL games.

You got the Black community. [Shedeur Sanders is] bringing the whole Black community together. I ain’t run across one Black person that said one bad thing about Shedeur. Not once. Because he has the balance. He has the balance of the ‘I’m arrogant, but I’m humble too.’ And he has some fun with this. He’s the most powerful Black man in sports.

Perkins said

Sanders started 7 games (8 total appearances), completed 120 passes (56.6%) for 1400 passing yards, 7 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. Additionally, he rushed for 169 yards and scored one touchdown.

A Cleveland journalist does not want to give up on Shedeur Sanders just yet

As Perkins mentioned, the Black community and the folks in Cleveland rallied behind Sanders even when he wasn’t starting games for the Browns. Sanders’ jerseys sold like hotcakes, even more than the team’s best player, Myles Garrett.

Shedeur Sanders Is the Most Powerful Black Man Since Barack Obama? Kendrick Perkins Makes Bizarre Claim
Shedeur Sanders (Image via IMAGO)

That said, Sanders did not have the same kind of impact on the field. He finished with the second-worst quarterback rating (18.8 QBR) by a rookie since 2006. Only former Panther Jimmy Clausen, with a 13.8 QBR, sits below him.

Despite the numbers, Tony Grossi of ESPN Cleveland has faith in the 24-year-old’s abilities.

I think we need to see more. Plus, you have Monken, a new system, and a new coach. The offensive line…So you owe it to see that through. But after this year, you’ll know whether Shedeur’s the guy or not.

Tony Grossi said recently

Sanders’ claim as the QB1 is not guaranteed. Veteran Deshaun Watson, who spent the entire 2025 season on the injured reserve, recovering from a torn ACL, is set to give Sanders a tough fight. New head coach Todd Monken likes Sanders and his attitude, but at the same time, he declined to answer when asked to name his starting quarterback.

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