Regular viewers of First Take will have noticed that, over the last few months, Kendrick Perkins' mic has been... extra sensitive, we'll say. For whatever reason Perkins' microphone picks up more ambient noise than anybody else's and it is always on during other people's segments. One figures that if the audience can hear it then the talent definitely can but they've apparently soldiered on without addressing it until today. Today was the day JJ Redick just could not take it anymore.
Redick was about to launch into a monologue about how the Miami Heat defeated the Denver Nuggets in Game 2 last night despite a 41-point outing from Nikola Jokic when Perkins started breathing very loudly into his microphone. Redick could not continue, stopped, and asked if Perkins was moaning into his ear. Stephen A. Smith chimed in to say he could hear it, too.
Perkins notably did not offer up any explanation, which would be pretty useful since it's become a pretty common occurrence. I wasn't joking when I said it's been going on for months. Here are a few examples of previous Perkins moans coming through your screen.
From April 14:
And from May 5:
Personally my attention was first drawn to this, uh, happenstance on April 10 when viewers theorized a producer had left his mic on. But no. It was just Perk.
Frankly I'm blown away it took this long for anybody to say something. If anyone had complained behind the scenes it would have been fixed, and very easily, too. Producers absolutely have the power to mute Perkins' mic and could've done so anytime he was not set up to speak. At the very least they could've, I don't know, moved it further away from his mouth? Lowered the sensitivity setting? There are many possible solutions to this problem so it goes to figure that they haven't used any because no one has called it out. Until now.
Extremely funny subplot of the ESPN universe. Now it's time to see if they'll actually fix it or if this is a setup for an extra ITYSL sketch.
This article was originally published on thebiglead as JJ Redick Calls Out Kendrick Perkins' Hot Mic: 'Is That You Moaning in My Ear?'.
