Kendrick Perkins Explains Why He Was Moaning, Breathing Heavy On ‘First Take’

A clip of ESPN’s hit show First Take, in which someone can be heard moaning and breathing heavily, has made its rounds online, prompting social media users to speculate on who was responsible for the odd noises during the segment.

Kendrick Perkins, a former NBA player who has found fame as an analyst on the Worldwide Leader of Sports, has fessed up to being behind the distracting soundbites that bled into a debate between Perkins and ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith on Monday (April 10).

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The segment in question saw Perkins and Smith going back-and-forth regarding their thoughts on Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic’s recent play and the Mav’s plummet from playoff contention. However, at one point during the exchange, a live mic that was intended to be turned off picked up what sounded like moans and heavy breathing, among other noises. One social media user shared a video of the segment on Twitter shortly after it aired while pointing out the technical snafu.

“Dude I was watching First Take and I’m pretty sure the producer left his mic on for this segment you can literally hear him the whole time,” the user captioned the clip. While the initial post accused a producer of the show as being the source of the noises, another social media user chimed in, placing blame on Perkins instead and claiming that his breathing being picked up on mic is a regular occurrence. “Yo that’s Perk,” they wrote. “He always breathing like that.”

As the author of the initial post tagged Perkins’ Twitter account while asking him to “clarify” whether that suggestion was true or not, the NBA champion came clean, attributing the noises and heavy breathing to him currently being under the weather with the Flu.

“That I’m working while battling the Flu?!” Perkins tweeted back to the user, referencing the “clarification” that was requested. “Some people take days off…not me!”

Perkins, a former high school phenom who was selected by the Boston Celtics with 27th overall pick in the first round of the 2003 NBA Draft, played 16 seasons in the NBA before retiring after in 2018. In addition to the Celtics, Perkins spent stints with the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the New Orleans Pelicans. He has since gained popularity for his work with ESPN on show’s such as First Take, NBA Today, Get Up, and other programs on the network.

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