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ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins fell victim to some fake news involving Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga. The analyst failed to fact check a now viral “report” circulating social media, leading to an embarrassing moment on air.
During a SportsCenter broadcast Tuesday night, Perkins attempted to hype up the youngster for the upcoming season. Unfortunately, one statement about Kuminga led to online mockery.
Now, we’ve seen this before in the world of sports. A troll account spreads misinformation in an attempt to dupe high-profile news anchors into saying something stupid.
And it’s worked.
In fact, Perk has already been made the butt jokes due to his involvement in a similar situation. In that instance, he was part of a television segment dedicated to dissecting a (fake) quote “made” by Ja Morant about Michael Jordan.
The fact that the quote was pushed by a Twitter account called Ballsack Sports apparently didn’t raise any red flags.
A year earlier, ESPN was tricked by a fake Adam Schefter account saying that the Miami Dolphins had fired their offensive coordinator. The network later apologized for the story published on its website.
Now, another false report has led to embarrassment.
A made-up rumor has been circulating social media claiming that Jonathan Kuminga had a massive growth spurt over the offseason. The forward, who’s 6-foot-7, was said to have grown seven inches to 7-foot-2.
Moses Moody on Jonathan Kuminga having another growth spurt this past year:
“I’m not lying… he’s tall as f*** now.”
The 19 yr old Kuminga arrived in the Bay at only 6’7
20 yr old Kuminga now rumored to be 7’0 👀 pic.twitter.com/22lMOm24lJ
— Rackzz… -Offseason- 😴 (@Rackzz206) June 18, 2023
The internet immediately ran with the rumor, with even Golden State teammate Andre Iguodala jumping in on the joke.
Jonathan Kuminga is now reportedly 7’2″
👀🤯 https://t.co/k63IhhkIVP pic.twitter.com/TJwkkxWjSw
— KumingaMuse (@KumingaMuse) June 19, 2023
And Kendrick Perkins fell for it, saying the following on SportsCenter.
“From reports, I’m hearing that Jonathan Kuminga is now 7-foot-2. The kid has gotten better every single season. He has a nice skillset. His athleticism is through the roof.”
Fans didn’t let the analyst live it down.
One person wrote, “Big J journalism happening at the worldwide leader.”
Another said, “Yet another reason not to take anything he says seriously.”
This follower asked, “How does he have a job?”
— CE (@khrisody) June 21, 2023
Perkins has responded to the clip, and he knows he got duped. “I hate this damn app,” he wrote on his Twitter page.
Next time, he might do a little research.