Basketball is an extremely demanding sport, both physically and mentally. Players have to not only train how to play and study the moves of their opponents but also spend most of their time in the gym. And even if they manage to keep their body in perfect shape, the game still involves a huge risk of injury. A story, which all of the players should know, is a cautionary tale of DeMarcus Cousins. His height and weight and the aggressive play resulted in injuries that almost cost him his career.
DeMarcus Cousins – High School
DeMarcus Cousins, nicknamed “Boogie” started his journey with basketball from a very young age. He attended LeFlore Magnet High School in Toulminville, Alabama, and played for their team. He participated in the 2009 McDonald’s All-American Boys Game as a member of the first-team Parade-All American.
He scored 14 points and had 8 rebounds. The same year, he played in Nike Hoop Summit and Jordan Brand Classic, where he made himself recognizable by scoring ten points for the black team. He led his team to the final four in 6A Championships.
DeMarcus Cousins – College Career
DeMarcus Cousins knew that to be great, he had to have an amazing coach, so he followed John Calipari and attended Kentucky. Cousins recorded 15.1 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game at Kentucky. He spent only one year in college and made himself eligible for the NBA draft in 2010 without the intention of pursuing an academic career.
DeMarcus Cousins – Sacramento Kings
DeMarcus Cousins was selected by the Sacramento Kings as the fifth overall pick. The team was in need of a big player, but DeMarcus wasn’t valuable only because of his size. He got the two-year contract with the possibility to prolong it to four years. He was supposed to earn 7 million dollars. He proved himself during the NBA Summer League when he became Rookie of the Month for July. The regular season ended with cousins being named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.
DeMarcus Cousins – Unsportsmanlike Behavior
In 2012 the tensions were destroying the team from the inside. Head coach Paul Westphal was unhappy with Cousins’ alleged stubbornness. It was rumored that Cousins wanted to be transferred but he denied these accusations. After the blowout, Westphal was let go from the Kings, which fueled the rumors of Cousins’ behavior.
In November 2012, Cousins was suspended for his aggressive behavior towards San Antonio Spurs commentator, Sean Elliott. Some said the suspension was overly harsh and based more on Cousins’ past than on what occurred, while others felt he needed to grow up and learn a lesson about dealing with the media. Later, Cousins apologized to the journalist and the apology was accepted.
DeMarcus Cousins – 16 Technicals
Just a month later, Cousins was suspended again. This time the suspension was to be indefinite but it was lifted just two days later. The whole season was a rollercoaster, on the court and outside of it. DeMarcus scored high and he had good efficiency ratings but had 16 technical fouls and was ejected from games over and over again.
Despite his atrocious behavior, the Kings extended Cousins’ contract for 62 million dollars. Cousins donated a million from his salary to the Sacramento community. This good deed brought luck to the infamous player, as he scored 30 points and had 14 rebounds in the 2013-14 season opener. As winter came, Boogie went back to his old habits and was suspended again, for punching Patrick Beverley in the stomach.
DeMarcus Cousins – All-Star
In December of 2014, DeMarcus Cousins posted career-high averages with 23.5 points, 12.6 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game in the first 15 games of the season. It could be an incredible season for Boogie but he had to undergo treatment because of viral meningitis he was diagnosed with. This dangerous disease kept him away from the game until the middle of the month. Upon his return, he scored 27 points and 11 rebounds in a loss to Milwaukee Bucks.
Injuries were prominent that season. Kobe Bryant couldn’t participate in the 2015 All-Star game because of medical reasons and DeMarcus was to replace him, becoming the first Kings player to earn All-Star honors since 2004. This recognition uplifted Cousins even more and in April he posted his second triple-double, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Chris Webber, and Tim Duncan as a player who collected over 20 points, 20 rebounds, 10 assists, and 5 blocks in one game. He repeated his performance and became one of three players in NBA history to do so, along with legendary Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor.
DeMarcus Cousins – Injuries
As a big man, Cousins was at incredible risk of injury. He tore his Achilles tendon but recovered from it. In this run, he focused on the three-pointers. In previous seasons, Boogie had never scored more than four per season and now he provided such scores in just one game.
The whole season was to be a great success. On January 25, 2016, he broke the franchise record and established the season record with 56 points in one game. He earned his spot in the Western Conference reserve for the 2016 All-Star game.
The next season was also very promising for Cousins as he became the franchise leader with double-doubles, many of them surpassing 20 points. What led to his demise was his attitude. In February of 2017, he had his 16th technical foul and was ejected from the game.
Cousins couldn’t help himself and while exiting the court, he made an inappropriate gesture followed by an outrageous statement. He was fined 25,000 dollars and rumors of trade started to brew. It was a shame, because during the seasons with the Kings, DeMarcus played a solid game, averaging more than 24 points per game and around 10 rebounds per game.
DeMarcus Cousins – New Orleans Pelicans
Due to his belligerent attitude, Cousins was traded to New Orleans Pelicans along with his colleague, Omri Casspi. The team he joined wasn’t particularly dominating the boards but it allowed Cousins to highlight his skills. When he faced his former teammates he managed to score 37 points, including five three-pointers. The whole year was successful, so it was a shame when Cousins tore his left Achilles tendon in January and had to undergo surgery.
DeMarcus Cousins – Golden State Warriors
After finishing his time with the Pelicans, DeMarcus Cousins became a free agent. He didn’t get many offers, due to his lack of athleticism, which led to many injuries before. His attitude could also be a factor. Golden State Warriors offered Cousins a one-year contract with midlevel exception and it was his only choice.
The time with the Warriors was pretty weird, as he started to play for their G League affiliate, Santa Cruz Warriors. Finally, on January 18, 2019, Cousins went back on the big floor and helped the Warriors win over the Los Angeles Clippers. Unfortunately, in April he was injured again. Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson made their way to the bench just after Cousins, making it one of the worst seasons for the Warriors.
DeMarcus Cousins – Houston Rockets
In 2019 Cousins was to join the Los Angeles Lakers, but he injured his knee and he has never worn the yellow and purple. To honor him, the Lakers engraved his name on the championship rings when they won NBA Finals. After that, he signed with the Houston Rockets. His gameplay was extremely bad, as he posted career-lows over and over again. It seemed like he was a washed-up player and just couldn’t keep up with the current. He played 25 games for the Rockets in which he averaged 96 points and 7.6 rebounds per 20 minutes of the game.
DeMarcus Cousins – Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers couldn’t invest their hopes in Cousins and signed him for a 10-day contract. Later, the contract was re-signed and ultimately DeMarcus ended up on the bench for 16 games of the season. When he made court appearances his game was more promising, but it was clear that he had reached his peak before. In May of 2021, he left a game at Oklahoma City with another injury.
DeMarcus Cousins – Milwaukee Bucks
On November 28, 2021, the news broke that Milwaukee Bucks signed DeMarcus Cousins. It could be a chance for him to prove that he still is in his prime. To keep up with the fast-paced play of the Bucks, Cousins has to abandon his dunking attempts and become a full-time center, the position which is tailor-made for him, because of his height.
What team did DeMarcus Cousins play for?
DeMarcus Cousins played for the Kings from 2010-11 to 2016-17, the Pelicans from 2016-17 to 2017-18, the Warriors in 2018-19, the Rockets in 2020-21, the Clippers in 2020-21, the Bucks in 2021-22 and the Nuggets in 2021-22.
