Kendrick Le'Dale "Perk" Perkins (born November 10, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst for ESPN. He entered the NBA directly out of high school and played for the Boston Celtics, Oklahoma City Thunder, Cleveland Cavaliers, and New Orleans Pelicans, winning the NBA Championship in 2008 with the Celtics. Early life Perkins was born in Nederland, Texas and raised by his grandparents, who lived on a farm. His mother was shot and killed by her best friend when he turned five, and his father played professional basketball in New Zealand — where he stayed throughout — and never visited Perkins. Perkins went to a private Catholic school starting in sixth grade. Perkins' grandfather was very enthusiastic about sports, helping spark his competitive passion. In addition to basketball, Perkins also participated in pick-up football games as a defensive end, and baseball as a first baseman. Perkins stopped playing baseball in ninth grade, and gave up on football in tenth grade. Perkins first met LeBron James in the seventh grade when playing on the Houston Hoops and competing against LeBron's Ohio Shooting Stars. Perkins later became friends with LeBron during his time at ABCD Camp where they were teammates on the Oakland Soldiers. During his time on the AAU circuit beginning in eighth grade, Perkins was ranked No. 3, LeBron at No. 1, and Chris Paul at No. 2. Perkins had his largest growth spurt from eighth grade to ninth grade, where he went from to , his current height. Perkins' first in-game dunk was in the seventh grade. High school career Perkins graduated from Clifton J. Ozen High School in Beaumont, Texas, in 2003. He led Ozen High to four consecutive district championships and one state championship during his high school career. Averaging 27.5 points, 16.4 rebounds and 7.8 blocked shots a game as a senior, he led Ozen to a 33–1 record, with the only loss being a 66–54 setback to Fort Worth Dunbar in the state 4A championship game. After his senior season in 2003, Perkins was selected to the McDonald's All-American Game. Considered a five-star recruit by Rivals.com, Perkins was listed as the No. 3 center and the No. 6 player in the nation in 2003. He had originally committed to Memphis, but opted instead to make the jump to the NBA straight out of high school. Professional career Boston Celtics (2003–2011)