If you thought NBA opening night was just about slam dunks and buzzer beaters, think again, because Kendrick Perkins just brought some next-level awkwardness to ESPN that nobody saw coming.

So here’s what happened: Elle Duncan, one of ESPN’s hosts, was chatting with Perkins before the big Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Houston Rockets game. Elle kicked things off with a cute little pun on Perkins’ nickname “Perk.” She said, “You know, working at ESPN, talking to Kendrick is one of the Perk-s.” Pretty harmless and even funny, right? Perkins laughed it off like a pro.

But then, oh boy, Perkins wanted to have his turn at a joke. He smiled and asked Elle if she was ready for his pun. She nervously said, “Oh God, OK.” Then Perkins dropped this gem: “What do you need Ibuprofen for when you can have a Perk?” Basically mixing his nickname with the name of painkillers Percocet and Ibuprofen.

And that’s when Elle went totally silent. You could almost see the cringe radiating from the screen. She just stared ahead, clearly caught off guard by the weird direction of the joke. Meanwhile, the other guests couldn’t hold back their laughter. After a few awkward seconds, Elle finally broke it with, “I literally can’t stand you and I love you.” Perfect reaction. It was equal parts funny and painfully awkward.

The clip quickly went viral, and Twitter had a field day roasting the pun and sympathizing with Elle’s “I don’t know what just happened” face. But here’s the thing: Elle actually started the pun-game earlier in the segment, so Perkins was really just playing along, except maybe a little too much.

Despite the awkward pun, Perkins leaned back all proud and pleased with himself, as if he had just dropped the best joke of the season. Classic dad-joke vibes. You gotta respect the confidence.

And while the Thunder ended up beating the Rockets in double overtime 125-124, most fans agree the real winner was Perkins’ cringe-worthy pun and Elle’s priceless silence.

Perkins has a history of these “off” moments. Remember last year when he said the Indiana Pacers were going to “fall off like no limit,” only for them to make it all the way to the NBA finals? Yeah, not his luckiest prediction day.

Luckily, our playmakers section doesn't miss like that. Our picks are way more on point. Check out today’s picks that actually hit.