NBA player Kendrick Perkins made headlines on Friday night with a wild shot that resulted in a bloody injury for Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns.
During the game between the Timberwolves and the Boston Celtics, Perkins, who now works as an analyst for ESPN, was sitting courtside when he attempted to make a half-court shot during a break in the action. However, his shot went awry and ended up hitting Towns in the face, causing a gash above his right eye.
The incident occurred in the third quarter of the game, with the Timberwolves leading 82-80. Towns was immediately taken to the locker room for medical attention and did not return to the game. He received stitches for the injury and is expected to be re-evaluated in the coming days.
Perkins, who played in the NBA for 15 seasons, took to Twitter to apologize for the incident, stating, “I want to take this time to apologize to Karl-Anthony Towns for my mishap on the half court shot attempt. I didn’t mean any harm. Glad to know he’s ok.”
Towns also addressed the incident on social media, thanking Perkins for his apology and stating that he was “good to go” for the next game.
This is not the first time Perkins has made headlines for his half-court shot attempts. In 2019, he famously made a shot during a pregame show that resulted in a $25,000 donation to the Boys and Girls Club of Boston.
While the incident may have been unintentional, it serves as a reminder of the potential dangers of sitting courtside during an NBA game. Fans are often warned to stay alert and aware of their surroundings, as players can come flying into the stands at any moment.
Fortunately, Towns’ injury does not appear to be serious and he is expected to make a full recovery. As for Perkins, he may want to stick to analyzing the game from a safe distance in the future.
