Kendrick "Big Perk" Perkins

ORIGINS

Kendrick Perkins grew up without a conventional safety net. Born in Nederland, Texas, he lost his mother at age five and was raised by his grandparents on a farm outside Beaumont while his father played professional basketball in New Zealand, largely absent from his son’s life. It was his grandfather’s love of sport — and the quiet discipline of farm life — that lit the competitive fire in the young Perkins. He channeled that energy into basketball at Clifton J. Ozen High School, where he grew into one of the most dominant big men in Texas prep history.

At Ozen, Perkins was a force of nature — averaging 27.5 points, 16.4 rebounds, and 7.8 blocks per game as a senior, leading the team to a 33–1 record, four consecutive district championships, and a state title. Rivals.com ranked him the No. 3 center and No. 6 overall prospect in the class of 2003. He earned McDonald’s All-American and First-team Parade All-American honors, and was named Texas Mr. Basketball. When the time came, he bypassed his college commitment and declared for the NBA Draft directly out of high school.