NBA: Kendrick Perkins makes shocking revelation regarding LeBron James

On JJ Redick’s recent podcast, Kendrick Perkins revealed he prayed for LeBron James to tear his ACL when his team faced the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2008 NBA Playoffs.

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LeBron James and the Boston Celtics had one of the most heated rivalries between 2008 and 2012. It got to a point where starting center Kendrick Perkins was praying for a LeBron James ACL Tear, according to the big man. After many heated battles in the regular NBA season, Lebron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers and the Boston Celtics met in the 2008 Playoffs. While the Boston Celtics were favoured, the Cavs were able to take the series to seven games thanks to their superstar. In a low-scoring game 6, LeBron had 32 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, and two steals to force a Game 7. In Game 7, Lebron would drop 45 points. However, the Celtics would narrowly win at home. The Celtics would eventually win the NBA Championship in 2008.

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In his interview with former player and current NBA media member JJ Redick, Perkins said, “We played the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2008, and it was a Game 7, right? We just lost Game 6, and I’m not going to lie. I was scared going into that Game 7 against LeBron James, and this was the only time that I prayed that something happened to him at practice. I was like, ‘Let us get breaking news that LeBron has torn his ACL or something.”

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LeBron and that iteration of the Celtics would meet three more times. Lebron and Cavs would lose to the Celtics in six games in 2010, which would mark his last Playoffs series for the team for almost five years. LeBron signed with the Miami Heat in 2010 and would face the Celtics in the 2011 Playoffs, finally getting the better of them.

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There was another tightly contested seven-game series in 2012. However, James got the better of the Cavs this time. It was thanks to an iconic Game 6 performance, with an overall fantastic series. Towards the end of his career, Perkins would join LeBron in Cleveland, and the two are on seemingly good terms at this point.