Kendrick Perkins has taken on a new role that will see him head to the sidelines of college basketball as a general manager. According to Shams Charania, the ESPN analyst and 2008 NBA champion has agreed to become the men's basketball general manager at Jackson State University, making him the first GM in the HBCU program's history. "I'm thankful for this opportunity to impact young lives and pour back into my community," Perkins said (via Charania's report shared on X). Perkins will pull double duty, keeping his seat as an NBA studio analyst at ESPN while taking on the GM role at the Jackson State SWAC program in Jackson, Mississippi. His new role carries an ambassador-style dimension. Perkins' primary function will center on connecting Jackson State players to professional networks and raising the program's visibility, per ESPN . He will also have a tie to the university's broadcast and journalism program.…