An off-topic discussion about chicken during ESPN's NBA Today on Wednesday took an unexpected turn when host Malika Andrews phrased her question in a way that she immediately regretted.
After answering Andrews' question about the Oklahoma City Thunder's approach to playing defense being the secret to their success, or their secret sauce, Kendrick Perkins broke off on a tangent about his preference when ordering chicken tenders.
"I’m not a big sauce guy," Perkins shared at the 10-minute mark. "So, when I go and order chicken tenders, I ain't getting ranch and all that."
Andrews tried to hone in on Perk's preferred chicken tenders, but her question came out all wrong. "You want the dry rub?" she asked.
Caught off guard, Perkins responded, "Huh?"
Laughter ensued as Malika immediately realized her question was being misinterpreted. The NBA Today host quickly moved onto the next segment before establishing that she was "talking about chicken."
This awkward exchange comes after NBA Today's Monica McNutt appeared on the Roommates Show earlier this month, and had a hilariously uncomfortable moment with New York Knicks star Josh Hart.
In other NBA-related news this week, Matt Barnes denied falling victim to an AI model scam. "I get back from Dubai ... I see all of a sudden I'm suing an AI model, or I got played by an AI model," Barnes said, accusing "bottom of the barrel-ass blogs" of fueling the speculation.
"You guys believe I got played by an AI model, and I'm suing them? Where the fuck did you guys get this from?" Barnes asked.
Rumors circulated online in December that the former professional basketball player was scammed out of $61,000 by someone using a model made from artificial intelligence on a dating service.