Police: Cavs’ Kendrick Perkins, wife involved in roadside verbal altercation
Cleveland Cavaliers reserve center Kendrick Perkins was involved in a “verbal altercation” with his wife on the side of the road in Westlake, Ohio, on Wednesday morning, according to police.
Police received a tip about the alleged dispute from a 911 caller on Wednesday morning.
“I am just driving right now and [on] Crocker and Hilliard, there is somebody having an altercation on the side of the road,” the caller said. “It looks like a woman is hitting the man, and he’s trying to get out of the car. They’re parked on the side of the road […] Like I said, I was just passing, but it looked like he was trying to get out and the person, which I think was a woman, was trying to hold him back, like grabbing him and pulling him back in.”
Upon arriving at the scene, Westlake police found Perkins and his wife, Vanity Perkins, waiting outside their black sport utility vehicle. Both parties claimed it was a verbal altercation rather than the physical dispute the caller described. Neither reported any injuries, and police made no arrests or citations.
Vanity Perkins reportedly left in the SUV, while police gave Perkins a ride home in their car:
Upon completion of the police report in the incident — not expected until Thursday, according to Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon-Journal — the Westlake city prosecutor will review the case to determine whether to file any charges.
The Cavaliers issued a statement on the incident on Wednesday afternoon:
We are aware of a police report concerning a dispute between Kendrick Perkins and his wife, Vanity, that occurred this morning near their home in Westlake, OH. There were no arrests or citations made by the Westlake Police, who responded on site, and there have been no accusations of wrong doing. We have spoken to Kendrick about this and understand he has cooperated fully with the authorities in their review of the situation and will continue to do so. We respect the process that the Westlake authorities will undergo in relation to this and have no further comment to make about the situation at this time.
Perkins averaged 2.6 points and 2.4 rebounds in 9.8 minutes per game in 17 appearances for the Cavaliers during the regular season. He joined the team in late February after being waived by the Utah Jazz, who received him in the deadline-day deal that sent Enes Kanter to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The 30-year-old center, a veteran of 12 NBA seasons and multiple playoff trips with the Thunder and Boston Celtics, has averaged just 4.4 minutes per contest in five postseason outings for the Cavs, including 1:31 of floor time in Cleveland’s 106-101 win over the Chicago Bulls in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Tuesday. Perkins will travel with the team to Chicago on Wednesday ahead of Thursday’s Game 6.
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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
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