Kendrick Perkins leaves ESPN panel in stitches after struggling to pronounce Malika Andrews’ husband Dave McMenamin’s name

Kendrick Perkins and his NBA Today co-hosts discussed the LA Lakers’ showdown with the Minnesota Timberwolves ahead of Game 5 on Wednesday. LeBron James’ former Cleveland Cavaliers teammate dug into what the Lakers were supposed to do to stave off elimination. To reinforce a point, he brought up Dave McMenamin’s inside report.

However, Perkins had trouble pronouncing the ESPN NBA insider’s name:

Co-host Malika Andrews, McMenamin’s wife, could not help but laugh at the former NBA player’s gaffe. Chiney Ogwumike had the same reaction as Andrews. Only Brian Windhorst was able to hold back, but the reporter had to look down to compose himself.

Kendrick Perkins said that per confirmation from Dave McMenamin, the only thing the LA Lakers were worried about was the offense. Despite wilting defensively in Game 4, LeBron James and Co. were reportedly unconcerned about their shortcomings on that end.

Per ESPN Analytics, the Lakers entered Wednesday with a 61.0% chance to win Game 5 and extend the series. LA must play well on both ends to bring the series back to Minnesota.

Basketball fans react to Kendrick Perkins mispronouncing Dave McMenamin’s name

Thousands of basketball fans eagerly waited for the latest ahead of the Game 5 showdown between the LA Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Kendrick Perkins’ analysis and mispronunciation of Dave McMenamin’s name quickly caught the attention of fans. Many promptly reacted to his mistake:

“Yall gotta take it easy on Perk man. Dude got a fetus brain.”

One fan said:

“It’s like his head is put to sleep, but he somehow keeps on talking.”

Another fan added:

“He said it again like he was right”

@trucker_muscle continued:

“McMinimum”

@AhmedBhatti97 commented:

“Call him Dave Mchicken for perk”

Former NBA players mispronounce words on TV from time to time. In 2022, Kevin Garnett’s pronunciation of the “equivalent” became viral. Kendrick Perkins’ former Boston Celtics teammate tried to muddle through the word. If NFL great Larry Fitzgerald had any reaction to the mistake, the legendary wide receiver managed to keep it to himself.

Unfortunately for Perkins, the name he mispronounced happened to be the husband of Malika Andrews, who would not let the co-host get away with it.