Sports fans you know NBA commentary can get a little wild sometimes right? Well Saturday Night Live noticed too! This past weekend Weekend Update decided to have some fun with ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins and the result was comedy gold thanks to Kenan Thompson's spot-on impersonation.
Kenan Thompson Transforms into Kendrick Perkins: Beard Voice and All the Nonsense Jokes
Kenan Thompson SNL veteran and all-around comedy king totally nailed his Kendrick Perkins impression. He had the beard the clothes the voice everything down pat. It was clear right away who he was supposed to be and it was funny from the jump.
The skit started with Thompson as Perkins chatting with Michael Che about a fictional Luka Doncic trade to the Los Angeles Lakers. And that is when the Perkins-isms started flowing. "Folks on the inside know Luka Dookie is hurt" Thompson-as-Perkins declared launching into some totally made-up medical nonsense. He claimed he was "hearing rumors that he got a small tear in his interior crustaceous uterus." A crustaceous uterus? Okay then. "I ain't no doctor but by my estimations I believe he gon' be dead by April" Perkins-Thompson deadpanned. Seriously hilarious stuff.
The jokes just kept coming. Perkins-Thompson went on to talk about Stephen A. Smith's massive new ESPN contract and then went on a wild tangent about LeBron James. According to SNL's Perkins LeBron is "71 years old he has one arm twelve kids—one of them is black—and he works undercover as a French superspy. The name is LeBron James LeBron." What does any of that even mean? That is the point! It is all wonderfully absurd and very much in the spirit of over-the-top sports commentary.
Why SNL Targeted Perkins? Parodying the World of Hot Take Sports Analysis
Some people might wonder why SNL picked on Kendrick Perkins. Is he really that over the top? Well maybe not always but he definitely represents a certain style of sports commentary. You know the type: loud opinionated full of hot takes and maybe not always making total sense.
SNL's skit was not really about picking on Perkins specifically. It was more about making fun of that whole culture of sports analysis where sometimes the loudest and most outlandish opinions get the most attention. Think about shows where analysts yell at each other make crazy predictions and say things just to get a reaction. That is the world SNL was poking fun at and Perkins just happened to be the perfect stand-in for that type of persona.
Perkins' Own Reaction: Did He Find it Funny or Foul?
So how did Kendrick Perkins himself react to getting roasted on SNL? Well it seems like he took it in stride! Reports are that Perkins actually found the skit hilarious. That is always the best case scenario when SNL does a parody right? The person being parodied can laugh at themselves.
It helps that Kenan Thompson's impression was clearly all in good fun. It was not mean-spirited it was just highlighting some of the more... colorful aspects of Perkins' on-air persona. And Perkins seems to have a good sense of humor about himself which is always a plus in the world of sports and comedy.
Weekend Update Scores Again: SNL's Sports Humor is a Slam Dunk
This Kendrick Perkins skit is another example of why Weekend Update is still such a strong part of SNL. Colin Jost and Michael Che along with the cast know how to take current events pop culture and yes even sports and turn them into really funny comedy. They are not afraid to be a little edgy a little silly and a lot smart. And when they land a joke like this Perkins parody it is a reminder of why SNL has been making us laugh for so many years.
Funniest Lines from SNL's Kendrick Perkins Parody: A Quick Listing
- Luka Doncic's Injury: "I'm hearing rumors that he got a small tear in his interior crustaceous uterus. I ain't no doctor but by my estimations I believe he gon' be dead by April."
- LeBron James' Age and Secret Life: "LeBron is 71 years old he has one arm twelve kids—one of them is black—and he works undercover as a French superspy. The name is LeBron James LeBron."
- Cracker Barrel Scientist Created Larry Bird: "Larry Bird was created by scientists in the back of a Cracker Barrel."
- Perkins' Motivation: "Stephen A. Smith he just got $100 million to go on ESPN every day and talk nothing but nonsense and I want a piece of that too!"
- Jewish Cookies Duo: "Luka and LeBron are the best black-and-white duo since them Jewish cookies."