**This event is FREE but registration is required.**
\nThe first 100 attende es will receive a complimentary copy of The Education of Kendrick Perk ins: A Memoir courtesy of the author. \;
\nDoors o pen at 6:00 PM. \;
\nAbout the author:
Kendrick Perkins is a former NBA champion and current
ESPN analyst who played 14 seasons in the league\, building a reputation a
s both one of basketball&rsquo\;s toughest enforcers and one of its most r
espected teammates. Drafted straight out of Clifton J. Ozen High School af
ter winning a state championship\, he played for the Boston Celtics\, Okla
homa City Thunder\, Cleveland Cavaliers and New Orleans Pelicans. He won a
n NBA title with Boston in 2008 and made additional Finals appearances wit
h Oklahoma City in 2012 and Cleveland in 2015 and 2018. Since retiring in
2019\, Perkins has become a prominent media voice on ESPN programs includi
ng NBA Countdown\, NBA Today\, Hoop Streams\, First Take and Get Up\, whil
e also authoring The Education of Kendrick Perkins: A Memoir\, a reflection on his life\, career and personal growth.
In \;The Education of Kendrick Perkins\, he opens a different side of himself: a powerful and intimate memoir that goes beyond basketball to discuss the reality of being Black in America.
\nAbandoned by his father\, then orphaned after the murd
er of his mother\, Perk was raised by his grandparents in a small Texas to
wn. He left their home at age eighteen\, drafted out of high school by the
legendary Celtics. For a country boy\, Boston was a completely new world\
, and the NBA a league of legends: Kobe Bryant\, Lebron James\, Kevin Garn
ett\, James Harden\, Shaquille O&rsquo\;Neal\, Paul Pierce\, Ray Allen\, K
evin Durant\, and more. Perk had to learn how to play with and against the
se stars\, while adjusting to life on the road as a professional athlete.<
br />
Kendrick Perkins will be in conversation with Branson W
right\, an accomplished filmmaker\, producer\, writer and directo
r\, as well as a nationally known sportswriter with nearly 30 years of exp
erience covering all levels of sports. Wright has produced acclaimed proje
cts including the HBO documentary Women of Troy\, ESPN&rsquo\;s 3
0-for-30 Believeland\, and his most recent film\, King of the
Block\, now streaming on Prime Video and Apple TV. He is the preside
nt and founder of Be Right Ventures. Wright\, who previously covered sport
s at The Cleveland Plain Dealer\, now contributes to ESPN&rsquo\;
s Andscape\, Front Row Sports and The Guardian. He \;co-hosts
The Sports Brothers podcast alongside Delvis Valentine.
Books will be available for purchase\, courtesy of Mac's
Backs - Books on Coventry.