Kendrick Perkins says ‘fights happen’ between NBA teammates: ‘We had gloves in the locker room’

There are people who might assume that the NBA’s best teams in any given year are so successful in part because their players get along with one another so well, perhaps with limited to no disagreements or altercations in the locker room.

But former NBA big man Kendrick Perkins, who played for championship-caliber teams on the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder, offered a perspective during a recent podcast that might come as a surprise to some.

He explained that “fights happen” between NBA teammates and even detailed that his former Celtics teammates Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo put on gloves to settle their differences.

“Fights happen,” Perkins said. “We had gloves in the locker room. Ray Allen and Rondo got on the gloves. They had tension for about a month, and we like, ‘F— that. Y’all got to scrap it out.'”

Perkins was then asked won the fight, but he refused to give a straight answer.

“I’ll stay out of that,” he said. “But I will say — they fought. I’ma say this. I’ma say this. We all knew Rondo had a attitude with him. We knew he — you know what I’m saying? Ray surprised me, though.”

Perkins also claimed that Allen and Rondo walked away from the physical altercation with a newfound respect for each other.

“Yes, they did,” he said.

Rondo alluded to his fight with Allen during a podcast appearance last year. He talked about how often members of the Celtics “put the gloves on.”

It’s unclear as to when exactly Rondo and Allen exchanged fisticuffs, but they combined for one of the best backcourts in the league during their time on the Celtics.

Allen was maybe the best 3-point shooter the league had ever seen before Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry burst onto the scene, while Rondo was a playmaking maestro as well as a stingy defender and strong rebounder for his position.

Allen and Rondo also accomplished the ultimate goal during their time as teammates on the Celtics. They were two invaluable pieces of the Celtics team that won the 2008 NBA title. Boston beat the Los Angeles Lakers in six games in that year’s championship series.

Perkins provided fascinating insight with his recent comments. One can only wonder whether things have changed in NBA locker rooms since he retired from the league and whether his comments apply to all teams or just some.