An ESPN pundit is furious over recent comments by Vincent Goodwill, calling the NBA Championship a “participation trophy.”

Kendrick Perkins went off on Wednesday evening on “The Road Trippin Show.” 

“That was a bunch of bulls–t. It was all the way disrespectful, and when I heard him say it, the first thing came to mind is that your ass never was an athlete then. You couldn’t have never participated or been a basketball player or played on anybody’s team talking that type of nonsense. That was the most asinine thing that I’ve ever heard.”

Goodwill’s argument highlighted the eight different champions over eight years, noting that many teams were unable to repeat. He also argued Tuesday that there is no validation in any of the eight wins, including the New York Knicks’ recent championship. 

Kendrick Perkins GOES OFF on Vincent Goodwill for calling the NBA championship a participation trophy 👀

“Here’s the sh*t that pisses me off. Is when sometimes you’re on television and you get in the moment and feeling the table you going to say some bullsh*t out your mouth.… pic.twitter.com/YCp2CqSZUF

— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) June 17, 2026

Other participants were shocked by the comments, including MSG and ESPN NBA analyst Alan Hahn, who said the biggest point of validation was the Larry O’Brien Trophy

“Oh, you mean the participation trophy then.” Goodwill retorted. “It is if everyone gets one.” 

Perkins believes that even if a player won the championship more than once, each win would stick with them. 

“You disrespect the guys who are champions by saying it’s a participation trophy. Like what the f–k are we talking about? Do you know that one in those eight teams that won over the last eight years, one of them was Steph Curry,” Pekins said. “And I guarantee you if you go ask Steph Curry which one of them was his greatest championship, nine times out of ten he’s going to say the fourth one, not just because he won Finals MVP but because he had to overcome the obstacle of being a defensive liability. And he did that.” 

“As the media, we have a f–king responsibility, man, to make sure that we say and do the right things,” he continued. “We don’t go on the stage, on the platform, right after somebody just been crowned champions and call that s–t a participation trophy. Even if you’re thinking that, you don’t say that.”

For teams to be champions, it takes years of good drafting, smart signings and clever trades. Then the players and coaches work hard through an 82-game season to just make the playoffs. Finally, in a short period of time, the teams have to play and beat the other team’s best to have a chance to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy. 

In the NBA, five teams have never been in the Finals, and ten have never hoisted the trophy. Those fans are still waiting to participate in the celebrations of being NBA champions.