Former NBA player Kendrick Perkins, a 2007‑08 league champion, has agreed to serve as the general manager of Jackson State’s men’s basketball team while remaining on ESPN’s NBA coverage.
A Strategic Shift in College Basketball Management
Perkins spent 14 seasons in the NBA with the Boston Celtics, Oklahoma City Thunder, New Orleans Pelicans and Cleveland Cavaliers before joining ESPN in 2019 as a studio analyst. His playing career culminated with an NBA title, and his analytical work has made him a familiar voice on the network’s basketball broadcasts.
The move was first reported by ESPN.com on Friday, and it marks a rare crossover where a network analyst steps into a front‑office role at a collegiate program. Perkins will continue to appear on ESPN’s television and digital platforms, while also helping to shape the Tigers’ roster moves, scouting strategies and overall basketball operations.
He will work closely with new head coach Trey Johnson and athletic director Ashley Robinson, a partnership that school officials say could revitalize a program that last reached the NCAA tournament in 2007 and posted a 12‑21 record the previous season. Perkins has indicated he intends to stay connected to the university’s broadcast and journalism curriculum, offering students a direct line to professional basketball expertise.
While an official announcement has yet to be made by Jackson State leadership, the arrangement underscores a growing trend of former players leveraging their playing and media experience to influence college basketball programs. If the partnership proves successful, it could serve as a model for other schools seeking to blend on‑court development with media savvy.