Kendrick Perkins Mourns the Death of Former Thunder Teammate
In the spring of 2012, the Oklahoma City Thunder surged to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1996, when the franchise was based in Seattle (SuperSonics).
Advertisement
Now, more than a decade later, most fans look back on that team as what could have been with a core of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden.
However, few remembered that on the fringe of that rotation stood a young forward named Ryan Reid, a former second‑round pick out of Florida State.
On Monday, the basketball world learned of Reid's untimely death at age 38, and among the first to take notice was his former Thunder teammate and now ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins.
Perkins sent a tribute to Reid on Instagram, writing, "Rest in Peace young 👑 Fly high my brother 🙏🏿 🕊️."
Reid died following a medical emergency on July 9.
Advertisement
Kendrick Perkins, InstagramKendrick Perkins, Instagram
Reid was born in Lauderdale Lakes, Florida, and blossomed into a standout at Boyd Anderson High School. He averaged 18 points, 12 rebounds and 3 blocks per game as a junior and senior, earning a scholarship to Florida State.
From 2006 to 2010, Reid developed under coach Leonard Hamilton into a physical, versatile forward and leader, becoming just one of three players in school history to reach the NCAA postseason in all four years.
His final senior season saw him average a career-high 6.8 points, 4 rebounds, 0.6 steals and 0.5 blocks across 31 games (29 starts).
Oklahoma City Thunder's Russell Westbrook (0), Derek Fisher (37), Kendrick Perkins (5), James Harden (13) and Kevin Durant (35).© Soobum Im-Imagn Images
The Indiana Pacers selected Reid with the 57th overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, immediately trading his rights to the Thunder.
Advertisement
After a stint with the Tulsa 66ers in the NBA Development League, he earned a roster spot for the 2011-12 NBA season.
In five appearances with the Thunder, Reid logged 17 total minutes, scoring eight points and grabbing two rebounds.
Though his time in Oklahoma City was limited, Reid went on to enjoy a long international career, competing overseas in Puerto Rico, France, Japan and Canada up until 2019.
Related: Rockets Release NBA Veteran Days After Kevin Durant Trade
Related: Damian Lillard Receives Message From Bucks After Unexpected Release
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 14, 2025, where it first appeared.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Los Angeles Times
10 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
The Sports Report: Is Kobe Bryant one of the 10 best players in NBA history?
Hey, I'm back from Covid! Did everyone miss me? I see no hands raised out there. No one? OK, well, on to the news! From Chuck Schilken: Shaquille O'Neal has an issue with a recent ranking of the all-time best NBA players. On Monday, Bleacher Report released its list of the 'top 100 NBA players ever,' based on a compilation of rankings from a 'legion of B/R NBA experts, writers and editors.' O'Neal finished just outside the top five. He didn't seem to have an issue with that. Shaq's beef was with the placement of his former Lakers teammate, the late Kobe Bryant, who landed outside of the top 10. 'Kobe at 11 is criminal,' O'Neal wrote on X in the comments of a Bleacher Report post that revealed the list's top 20. He left his comment a little more than an hour after the original Bleacher Report post went live. Here are the 10 players ranked ahead of Bryant, in order from the top: Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Bill Russell, O'Neal, Tim Duncan, Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain and Stephen Curry. Bryant is followed on the list by Hakeem Olajuwon, Kevin Durant, Oscar Robertson and Jerry West. Do you think Bryant is one of the 10 best NBA players of all time? Click here to vote in our survey and let us know. Continue reading here ———— From Broderick Turner: Even with all the sports dignitaries in attendance and even though they were watching a rivalry game of sorts between the Lakers and Clippers, the fans inside the Thomas & Mack Center still were mostly enamored with Bronny James. That is the kind of drawing power James had even with his dad, LeBron James, watching again from his baseline seats. That's the kind of draw James had even with Steve Ballmer, Tyronn Lue, JJ Redick and Rob Pelinka in attendance. Even with Austin Reaves, Deandre Ayton and Kawhi Leonard looking on, Bronny James was the center of attention yet again. James had one of his better NBA Summer League games, but it was the Clippers who came out on top in a 67-58 win Monday night at Nevada Las Vegas. James had 17 points, five rebounds and five assists in 24 minutes and 17 seconds. Continue reading here Lakers-Clippers box score From Broderick Turner: The Clippers team Brook Lopez grew up watching as a young kid in Southern California is not that same franchise anymore. These Clippers are about putting a winning product on the court and about putting together the right talent to win games — and that is what sold Lopez on signing with them. 'It's crazy to see, but it's very cool — seeing the climb, the ascent,' Lopez said Monday afternoon at a news conference hours before the Clippers and Lakers played each other in an NBA Summer League game at Nevada Las Vegas. 'I'm a Cali boy. I grew up in the Valley, in North Hollywood. Obviously things were very different back then and to see where the Clippers have come now, it's just astonishing, it's beautiful. I'm glad to be a part of it and hopefully I can help take them even further up.' Lopez decided not to return to the Bucks after seven seasons in Milwaukee and opted not to sign with the Lakers, joining the Clippers on a two-year, $18-million deal. Continue reading here From Bill Shaikin: The suspension of former Dodgers pitcher Julio Urías ends Wednesday. The next day, Major League Baseball will remove him from its restricted list, and any team that wishes to sign him can do so. Scott Boras, the agent for Urías, said the pitcher — the only player suspended twice for violating baseball's policy on domestic violence and sexual assault — hopes to resume playing. 'He still has every intention to continue his career,' Boras said here Monday. 'He's getting in shape. Obviously, he'll have options that are open to him.' Boras declined to discuss any of those potential options Monday, since the suspension has not yet expired. It is believed that multiple teams have checked in on Urías, but it is uncertain whether a deal would be struck and, if so, he might be able to help a major league team. 'It depends on how teams view the situation and view his skill,' Boras said. Continue reading here Jacob Misiorowski is the talk of the All-Star Game. Why Dodgers are partially to thank Seattle's Cal Raleigh becomes first catcher to win MLB All-Star Home Run Derby MLB draft: Landon Hodge of Crespi goes to the White Sox in the fourth round From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: LA28 released the first look at the 2028 Olympic competition schedule on Monday, exactly three years before the Games open on July 14, 2028. The slate is highlighted by a break in tradition to accommodate the organizing committee's unique, dual-venue opening ceremony plan. Instead of beginning the schedule with swimming, as has been customary in recent Games, track and field will instead take place during the first week of competition from July 15 to 24 at the Coliseum. Swimming will follow from July 22 to 30 at SoFi Stadium, where an indoor pool will be built after the opening ceremony. The opening ceremony, now officially scheduled for 5 p.m. PDT on July 14, 2028, will be shared between the Coliseum and SoFi Stadium. Swimming will deliver the final competition of the 2028 Olympics as the last medal events are set to begin at 3 p.m. on July 30, 2028. Three hours later, the Olympic Games will conclude with the closing ceremony at 6 p.m. at the Coliseum. Continue reading here 1912 — Jim Thorpe wins the decathlon at the Stockholm Olympics and, in the closing ceremony, Sweden's King Gustav proclaims Thorpe the world's greatest athlete. 1922 — Gene Sarazen shoots a final-round 68 to beat out Bobby Jones and John Black for the U.S. Open golf championship. 1923 — Amateur Bobby Jones beats Bobby Cruikshank by two strokes in a playoff to win the U.S. Open golf title. 1927 — Bobby Jones wins the British Open shooting a championship record 7-under 285 at the Old Course in St Andrews, Scotland. It's the second straight Open title for the amateur, who goes wire-to-wire for a six-stroke victory over Aubrey Boomer and Fred Dobson. 1945 — Byron Nelson defeats Sam Byrd in the final round of the PGA golf tournament. 1961 — Arnold Palmer shoots a 284 at Royal Birkdale to win his first British Open title. 1967 — Argentina's Roberto DeVicenzo wins the British Open by two strokes over defending champion Jack Nicklaus. 1972 — Lee Trevino wins his second consecutive British Open title by beating Jack Nicklaus by one stroke. 1978 — Jack Nicklaus shoots a 281 at St. Andrews to win his third and final British Open. 1984 — Hollis Stacy wins her third U.S. Women's Open golf title, beating Rosie Jones by one stroke. 1990 — Betsy King overcomes an 11-shot deficit over the final 33 holes to win her second consecutive U.S. Women's Open as Patty Sheehan blows an eight-shot lead over the final 23 holes. 1991 — Sandhi Ortiz-DelValle becomes the first woman to officiate a men's pro basketball game, working a United States Basketball League game between the New Haven Skyhawks and the Philadelphia Spirit. 2000 — Lennox Lewis stops Francois Botha at 2:39 of the second round to retain his WBC and IBF heavyweight titles in London. 2007 — BYU star Daniel Summerhays becomes the first amateur winner in Nationwide Tour history. Summerhays scores a two-stroke victory over Chad Collins and Chris Nallen in the Nationwide Children's Hospital Invitational. 2007 — Copa América Final, Maracaibo, Venezuela: Defending champions Brazil win their 8th title with a 3-0 win over Argentina. 2010 — Rory McIlroy, a 21-year-old from Northern Ireland, ties the major championship record by shooting a 9-under 63 in the opening round of the British Open at the Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland. 2010 — Caster Semenya wins her first race since being cleared to return to competition after undergoing gender tests, winning the 800 meters in a modest time against a weak field at a low-key meet in Finland. 2018 — Novak Djokovic wins his fourth Wimbledon title with a 6-2, 6-2 7-6 (3) victory over Kevin Anderson. It's Djokovic's 13th major trophy, the fourth-highest total in the history of men's tennis, trailing only Roger Federer's 20, Rafael Nadal's 17 and Pete Sampras' 14. At No. 21, Djokovic is the lowest-ranked Wimbledon titlist since Goran Ivanisevic in 2001. 2018 — France wins its second World Cup title with a 4-2 win over Croatia in a dramatic final in Moscow. 1901 — Christy Mathewson of the New York Giants pitched his first of two career no-hitters, beating the St. Louis Cardinals 5-0. 1921 — NY Yankees slugger Babe Ruth ties MLB record of 138 career home runs (held by Roger Connor since 1895). 1960 — Baltimore's Brooks Robinson goes 5-for-5, hitting for the cycle and driving in three runs to lead the Orioles past the Chicago White Sox 5-2. 1969 — Cincinnati's Lee May hit four home runs in a doubleheader split with the Atlanta Braves. May had two home runs and drove in five runs in both games. The Reds lost the opener 9-8 but won the second game 10-4. 1969 — Rod Carew stole home off Chicago's Gerry Nyman in the Minnesota Twins' 6-2 victory. It was Carew's seventh steal of home for the year and tied Pete Reiser's 1946 major league mark. 1973 — Nolan Ryan of the Angels struck out 17 batters and threw his second no-hitter of the year, beating Detroit 6-0. 1980 — Johnny Bench broke Yogi Berra's record for home runs by a catcher, and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Montreal Expos 12-7. Bench hit his 314th homer as a catcher off David Palmer. Bench had 33 home runs while playing other positions. 1997 — The San Francisco Giants scored 13 runs to set a modern NL record for runs in a seventh inning en route to a 16-2 rout of the San Diego Padres. The Giants set the NL record for the most runs in a seventh inning since 1900. 1999 — After 22½ years in the dreary Kingdome, Seattle finally played a home game outdoors, moving into a $517.6-million ballpark with a retractable roof. Jose Mesa wasted a ninth-inning lead by walking four batters and the Mariners lost 3-2 to the San Diego Padres in Safeco Field's opener. 2003 — Garret Anderson of the Angels went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer and a double, powering the American League past the National League 7-6 in the All-Star Game. 2005 — Baltimore's Rafael Palmeiro became the 26th player to reach 3,000 hits, curling an RBI double into the left-field corner off Joel Pineiro in the fifth inning of a 6-3 win over Seattle. Palmeiro joined Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Eddie Murray as the only players with 3,000 hits and 500 homers. 2007 — The Philadelphia Phillies lost their 10,000th game, 10-2 to St. Louis. The franchise, born in 1883 as the Philadelphia Quakers and later unofficially called the Blue Jays in the mid-1940s, fell to 8,810-10,000. 2008 — Justin Morneau slid home just in time on Michael Young's sacrifice fly in the 15th inning, giving the American League a 4-3 victory in the All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium. The AL extended its unbeaten streak to 12. 2014 — With Derek Jeter going out a winner in his last All-Star appearance, Mike Trout drove in two runs with a triple and a double to lead the American League past the National League 5-3. Jeter started his 14th and final midsummer classic and went 2 for 2 before being removed in the top of the fourth inning. 2017 — Cody Bellinger became the first Dodgers rookie to hit for the cycle and Alex Wood became the first Dodgers pitcher in more than a century to win his first 11 decisions in a season, helping Los Angeles beat the Miami Marlins 7-1. 2021 — Tampa Bay catcher Travis d'Arnaud becomes first player in MLB history to hit 3 homers while catching and batting leadoff in the Rays' 5-4 win over the NY Yankees. Compiled by the Associated Press That concludes today's newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you'd like to see, email me at To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
Yahoo
10 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Cooper Flagg's Physical Appearance is Turning Heads Before Summer League
Cooper Flagg's Physical Appearance is Turning Heads Before Summer League originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Cooper Flagg is set to appear in his first Summer League. Selected No. 1 overall by the Dallas Mavericks in the 2025 NBA Draft, expectations are high that Flagg will be able to make an immediate impact on the Mavs. Advertisement The 18-year-old forward is coming off a memorable season with the Duke Blue Devils, during which he averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists, while shooting 48.1% from the field and 38.5% from deep. Prior to being drafted, he had been compared to the likes of Scottie Pippen, Kawhi Leonard, Jayson Tatum and Lamar Odom, among many others. His first opportunity to show he can be a game-changer for Dallas will come in the Summer League. The Mavs are participating in the Las Vegas Summer League, which begins Thursday. In the build-of to the tournament, however, Flagg has been making headlines for a different reason. As the Mavs continue to promote Flagg and the rest of their Summer League team, fans couldn't help but take notice of the change in the youngster's physical appearance, particularly his facial hair. Advertisement Flagg already rocked a goatee during the NBA Draft, and since then, he has grown it a little bit more. Regardless, while some like it, others aren't big fans of it. "goatee flagg," a fan noticed. Another one shared, "That goatee adds so much aura to Cooper Flagg." "Goatee Flagg may be another animal," a third supporter added. A critic remarked, "He's gotta lose the Goatee." A fifth poster echoed a similar sentiment, writing, "Goatee is not it man." "He not cutting that goatee, huh?" a social media user stated. Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg has grown his facial Wachter / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images A couple of other commenters pointed to unkempt hairstyle, with one even offering to give him a cut: "Tell him to come see me for a fresh fade." Advertisement "Give this boy a good haircut," a follower posted. Related: LeBron James' Personal Opinion of Cooper Flagg Made Extremely Clear This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 10, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
10 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Mavericks Rookie Cooper Flagg Admits Issue With His 31-Point Game
Mavericks Rookie Cooper Flagg Admits Issue With His 31-Point Game originally appeared on Athlon Sports. After a rather underwhelming Summer League debut, Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg bounced back against the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday. Advertisement In the battle of the two Texas teams, Flagg exploded for 31 points on 10-of-21 shooting. The No. 1 overall pick of the 2025 NBA Draft also had four rebounds and an assist, while committing just two turnovers. Flagg outshined 2025 No. 2 overall pick Dylan Harper, who had 16 points for the Spurs. Harper, however, had six rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block. While the Mavs ended up losing 76-69, it was still an overall encouraging showing for Flagg. After all, in his first game against the Los Angeles Lakers, he was 5-of-21 from the field en route to scoring just 10 points. Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) scored 31 points against the San Antonio Spurs in the Summer Ward-Imagn Images After the game, Flagg talked about his play and noticeable improvement, a clear sign that he has gotten more comfortable with the level of play. Nonetheless, he acknowledged that it still wasn't a great performance, pointing out his free throw shooting as a key issue. Advertisement The 18-year-old forward was 8-of-13 from the free throw line, something that Flagg says his mom won't be happy about. "Missed a bunch of free throws, my mom probably isn't very happy with that," Flagg said while talking to the media following the game, per Joey Mistretta of ClutchPoints. There's certainly room for improvement for Cooper Flagg, but there's no denying that he showed against the Spurs the talent and skills that made him the best prospect in the class of 2025. Flagg and the Mavericks return to action on Monday against the Charlotte Hornets. It will be an interesting matchup, as Flagg faces off against his former Duke Blue Devils teammate Kon Knueppel — the No. 4 overall pick in the 2025 draft. Advertisement Related: Cooper Flagg's Physical Appearance is Turning Heads Before Summer League This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 13, 2025, where it first appeared.
