Why Jackson State is hiring ESPN pundit Kendrick Perkins as men’s basketball general manager

Why Jackson State is hiring ESPN pundit Kendrick Perkins as men’s basketball general manager originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Along with a 14-year career in the NBA, many basketball fans are most familiar with Kendrick Perkins for frequently appearing on the “First Take” and “NBA Today” shows on ESPN. Now, the basketball veteran will imminently start as the Jackson State general manager for the men’s basketball program.

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Perkins was likely hired since he has a recognizable name that many fans and recruits would know, so he will likely grow the recruiting power for the Tigers.

While he will have a new career as general manager, he will reportedly still be able to hold his position on ESPN.

Here’s why the ESPN basketball analyst was hired as a general manager for Jackson State.

MORE: SN’s 2026 NBA Mock Draft: Who goes first?

Why Jackson State is hiring Kendrick Perkins as general manager

On Friday, Shams Charania reported that Perkins would be moving to Jackson State to become the men’s basketball program’s general manager. After a long career in the NBA and working on ESPN as a TV personality, Perkins will add another aspect of the basketball world to his resume.

The new front office position with the Tigers is not expected to affect his current role at ESPN, so expect a continuation of Perkins’ personality on the screen. The notability of Perkins’ name may also be utilized for recruiting to the school, which is another reason why the former center may have been hired.

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What does a college basketball GM do?

In college basketball, general managers are usually in charge of recruiting and building a roster ahead of each season. In recent years, the position has often been given to a school’s notable basketball alumni to try and grow recruiting numbers (Stephen Curry at Davidson, Damian Lillard at Weber…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/why-jackson-state-hiring-espn-203258027.html

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Publish date : 2026-06-19 20:32:00

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