Former NBA champion Kendrick Perkins has agreed to become general manager of Jackson State men’s basketball, joining a program that has struggled in recent seasons. Perkins plans to keep his ESPN television analyst role and will work alongside new coach Trey J
JACKSON, Miss. — By the time most students are settling into the rhythm of a new school week, Jackson State men’s basketball is already looking for a jolt of experience—one that comes with ESPN on the same resume.
Kendrick Perkins, a former NBA player and 2007-08 league champion, has agreed to become the general manager for Jackson State’s men’s basketball team. ESPN.com first reported the deal on Friday.
Perkins has been working as an analyst for ESPN, and the network also reported that he intends to continue in his current television role. That same reporting said he will have ties to the university’s broadcast and journalism program.
School officials have not yet made an announcement.
The timing arrives as Jackson State faces a difficult recent stretch. The Tigers went 12-21 last season, and they have not made the NCAA Tournament since 2007. Perkins’ next job will place him alongside new coach Trey Johnson and athletic director Ashley Robinson.
Perkins’ basketball path runs through some of the sport’s most visible moments. He spent 14 seasons in the NBA, playing for the Boston Celtics, Oklahoma City Thunder, the New Orleans Pelicans and Cleveland Cavaliers. He won his title with the Celtics and later joined ESPN in 2019.
For Jackson State. the question now is what his dual role—overseeing the program while continuing on television—will mean for day-to-day decisions and long-term direction. For Perkins. it’s another pivot after a playing career that began with championship hardware and moved into a media job he has held since 2019.
As the university weighs how to operationalize the new position, students and staff are left waiting for the first official word from the school—while the staffing reality is already beginning to take shape with Johnson and Robinson as the program’s new leaders.
Kendrick Perkins Jackson State general manager men's basketball Trey Johnson Ashley Robinson ESPN NCAA Tournament Celtics