DeMarcus Cousins

For the American basketball player who plays overseas, see Marcus Cousin.
DeMarcus Cousins

Cousins with the Kings in 2012
No. 15 – Sacramento Kings
Position Center
League NBA
Personal information
Born (1990-08-13) August 13, 1990
Mobile, Alabama
Nationality American
Listed height 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight 270 lb (122 kg)
Career information
High school LeFlore (Mobile, Alabama)
College Kentucky (2009–2010)
NBA draft 2010 / Round: 1 / Pick: 5th overall
Selected by the Sacramento Kings
Playing career 2010–present
Career history
2010–present Sacramento Kings
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  United States
Olympic Games
2016 Rio de Janeiro Team
World Championship
2014 Spain Team

DeMarcus Amir Cousins (born August 13, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the University of Kentucky, where he was an All-American in 2010. He left Kentucky after one season, and was selected with the fifth overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft by Sacramento. In his first season with the Kings, Cousins was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team, and in 2015 and 2016, he was named an NBA All-Star. He is also a two-time gold medal winner as a member of the United States national team, winning his first in 2014 at the FIBA Basketball World Cup and his second in 2016 at the Rio Olympics.

High school career

Cousins was born in Mobile, Alabama and attended LeFlore Magnet High School in Mobile.[1] He was a first-team Parade All-American in 2009, and played in the 2009 McDonald's All-American Boys Game, finishing with 14 points and 8 rebounds.[2] Cousins also played in the 2009 Nike Hoop Summit at the Rose Garden in Portland and the Jordan Brand Classic at Madison Square Garden where he scored 10 points for the black team.[3] Cousins led LeFlore to the Alabama class 6A Final Four against Hillcrest that beat Austin High School to progress to the state championship; falling short to future college teammate Eric Bledsoe and Parker High School.

Considered a five-star recruit by Rivals.com, Cousins was listed as the Number 1 power forward and the Number 2 player in the nation in 2009.[4]

College career

Cousins first committed to Alabama-Birmingham on February 28, 2008, but never signed a letter of intent.[5] Cousins decommitted from UAB and committed to Memphis on March 9, 2009.[6] He reopened his recruitment after then Memphis coach John Calipari was hired at Kentucky. On April 7, 2009, Cousins decided to follow John Calipari to Kentucky.[7] He signed his letter of intent on April 15. At Kentucky, Cousins averaged 15.1 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game. Led by Cousins and John Wall, the Wildcats reached the Elite Eight of the 2010 NCAA Tournament.

College statistics

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2009–10 Kentucky 38 38 23.5 .558 .167 .604 9.8 1.0 1.0 1.8 15.1

Professional career

Sacramento Kings (2010–present)

2010–11 season

On April 7, 2010, Cousins announced that he would forgo his final three seasons of collegiate eligibility and enter the 2010 NBA draft, where he was selected by the Sacramento Kings with the fifth overall pick.[8] On July 7, 2010, Cousins signed his rookie contract with the Kings, worth about $7 million for the first two years with a team option for the third and fourth years.[9] Cousins was named the Rookie of the Month for July during the NBA Summer League.[10] Cousins was also named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team at the end of the 2010–11 season.

2011–12 season

On January 1, 2012, head coach Paul Westphal sent Cousins home from the Kings' home game against the New Orleans Hornets, saying that Cousins was "unwilling/unable to embrace traveling in the same direction as his team; it cannot be ignored indefinitely."[11] Cousins, who had been averaging 13.0 points and 11.3 rebounds per game at the time of the dismissal, reportedly demanded to be traded from the Kings. Cousins later denied asking to be traded.

On January 5, 2012, Westphal was fired from the Kings, leading many to speculate that the head coach's tumultuous relationship with Cousins was a factor in his being replaced.[12] On February 8, 2012, Cousins was selected to play in the Rising Stars Challenge. He played for Team Chuck, with a mix of rookies and sophomores.

2012–13 season

Cousins with Andrew Bogut

On November 11, 2012, the league suspended Cousins for two games without pay for confronting San Antonio Spurs color commentator Sean Elliott "in a hostile manner" after he criticized Cousins for attempting to bully Tim Duncan on the court.[13] Cousins was apparently informed of Elliott's remarks after the game. He left the locker room and waited on the court for Elliott to finish his post-game show before confronting him. Some criticized the suspension as overly harsh and based more on Cousins' reputation than what actually happened, while others said he needed to grow up and learn a lesson about confronting the media.[14] Cousins apologized to Elliott in person before a game against the Spurs in March 2014, which Elliott said he appreciated.[15]

On December 22, 2012, Cousins was suspended indefinitely from the Kings, who accused him of "unprofessional behavior and conduct detrimental to the team." [16] The suspension was lifted on December 24, 2012.[17] The season was up-and-down for Cousins, who posted career-highs in Player Efficiency Rating, field goal percentage, and free throw percentage, but led the NBA with 16 Technical Foul infractions, was ejected several times and suspended by both the league and the Kings.

2013–14 season

Cousins with the Kings in December 2013

On September 30, 2013, Cousins signed a reported four-year, $62 million contract extension with the Kings.[18] After signing the contract, Cousins announced he would donate $1 million of his salary to the families and community of Sacramento.[19] He opened the season with a 30-point, 14-rebound performance against the Denver Nuggets.

On February 26, 2014, Cousins received a one-game suspension for punching Patrick Beverley in the stomach. On March 11, Cousins recorded a career-high 6 blocks, along with 13 points and 14 rebounds, in a 89-99 loss to the Detroit Pistons.[20]

2014–15 season

After averaging career-highs of 23.5 points, 12.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocks over the first 15 games of the season, Cousins was diagnosed with viral meningitis on December 7, 2014.[21] He subsequently missed 10 games with the virus and showed no signs of a let up in his return to action on December 18 against the Milwaukee Bucks as he recorded 27 points and 11 rebounds in the 107-108 loss.[22]

On January 30, 2015, Cousins was named to replace the injured Kobe Bryant as a Western Conference All-Star in the 2015 NBA All-Star Game. Cousins' selection marked the first time a Kings player earned All-Star honors since Brad Miller and Peja Stojaković represented Sacramento in 2004.[23]

On April 1, 2015, Cousins recorded his second career triple-double with 24 points, 21 rebounds, 10 assists, 6 blocks and 3 steals in a 111-115 loss to the Houston Rockets.[24] In doing so, he became just the fourth player in NBA history to collect 20+ points, 20+ rebounds, 10+ assists and 5+ blocks in single game, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Chris Webber and Tim Duncan. In the following game on April 3 against the New Orleans Pelicans, Cousins became the first Kings player to record back-to-back triple doubles since Chris Webber did so in 2005. In just under 42 minutes of action, he recorded 24 points, 20 rebounds and a career-high 13 assists in a 95-101 loss. He joined elite company as one of only three players to have consecutive 20-point, 20-rebound, 10-assist games; the others being Elgin Baylor and Wilt Chamberlain.[25]

2015–16 season

On October 28, 2015, Cousins recorded 32 points and 13 rebounds, as well as 4-of-5 three-pointers, in a season opening loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. Cousins had hit just four three-pointers in his previous 167 games and had never hit more than four in an entire season.[26] After missing four games with an Achilles injury between November 3–7, Cousins returned to action on November 9 and recorded 21 points and 12 rebounds in a loss to the San Antonio Spurs.[27] Cousins went 4-of-5 from three-point range for a second time on November 11, finishing the game with 33 points to help the Kings defeat the Detroit Pistons 101–92.[28] Two days later, he scored a season-high 40 points in a 111–109 win over the Brooklyn Nets.[29] On November 16, he was named Western Conference Player of the Week for games played Monday, November 9 through Sunday, November 15. It was the third career Player of the Week award for Cousins, who led the Kings to a 3–1 record on the week.[30]

On January 4, 2016, Cousins recorded 33 points and a season-high 19 rebounds in a 116–104 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.[31] On January 21, in a win over the Atlanta Hawks, he recorded 24 points and 15 rebounds for his ninth straight double-double and his 24th of the season in 34 games.[32] On January 23, he scored a career-high 48 points in a 108–97 win over the Indiana Pacers.[33] On January 25, he was named Western Conference Player of the Week for a second time in 2015–16.[34] He went on to top his career-high mark in emphatic fashion that night, scoring 56 points in a 129–128 double overtime loss to the Charlotte Hornets. His 56 points set a record for the 2015–16 season, and broke Chris Webber's franchise record of 51 points.[35] On January 28, he was named a Western Conference All-Star reserve for the 2016 NBA All-Star Game, earning his second straight All-Star nod.[36] On February 5, he recorded his first triple-double of the season and fourth of his career with 24 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a 128–119 loss to the Brooklyn Nets.[37] On February 19, he had 37 points, 20 rebounds and four blocks against the Denver Nuggets, recording his ninth career double-double with 20-plus points and rebounds, breaking the previous Sacramento record set by Chris Webber.[38]

2016–17 season

In the Kings' season opener on October 26, Cousins scored a game-high 24 points in a 113–94 win over the Phoenix Suns.[39] He backed that up the following night against the San Antonio Spurs, recording 37 points and 16 rebounds in a 102–94 loss.[40] On October 31, with 14 points and 12 rebounds against the Atlanta Hawks, Cousins became the Kings' career double-doubles leader with 246, surpassing Chris Webber's 245.[41] On November 18, he scored a season-high 38 points in a 121–115 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.[42]

NBA career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2010–11 Sacramento 81 62 28.5 .430 .167 .687 8.6 2.5 1.0 .8 14.1
2011–12 Sacramento 64 62 30.5 .448 .143 .702 11.0 1.6 1.5 1.2 18.1
2012–13 Sacramento 75 74 30.5 .465 .182 .738 9.9 2.7 1.4 .7 17.1
2013–14 Sacramento 71 71 32.4 .496 .000 .726 11.7 2.9 1.5 1.3 22.7
2014–15 Sacramento 59 59 34.1 .467 .250 .782 12.7 3.6 1.5 1.8 24.1
2015–16 Sacramento 65 65 34.6 .451 .333 .718 11.5 3.3 1.6 1.4 26.9
Career 415 393 31.6 .460 .290 .728 10.8 2.7 1.4 1.2 20.2
All-Star 2 0 15.0 .917 1.000 .667 5.5 .5 .0 .0 12.5

National team career

Cousins was a member of the United States national team that won the gold medal at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup.[43] In 2016, he won his second gold medal with Team USA at the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.[44]

Personal life

Cousins' younger brother, Jaleel, is also a professional basketball player,[45] who spent preseason with the Dallas Mavericks in 2016.[46]

References

  1. ↑ "DeMarcus Cousins NBA Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 10, 2012.
  2. ↑ "Wednesday's McDonald's All-American Game box scores". Seattletimes.nwsource.com. April 2, 2009. Retrieved March 22, 2010.
  3. ↑ "Big men shine in Jordan Brand Classic". ESPN. 19 April 2009. Retrieved 4 December 2012.
  4. ↑ "Rivals.com". Sports.yahoo.com. 2009-02-10. Retrieved 2016-08-21.
  5. ↑ "Top basketball prospect DeMarcus Cousins commits to UAB". Blog.al.com. February 29, 2008. Retrieved March 22, 2010.
  6. ↑ Seth Davis, SI.com (March 8, 2009). "Prep standout Cousins commits to Memphis". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 22, 2010.
  7. ↑ Name, Author (April 9, 2009). "DeMarcus Cousins To Kentucky". Slamonline.com. Retrieved March 22, 2010.
  8. ↑ "DeMarcus Amir Cousins". Basketball-Reference.Com. Retrieved November 10, 2012.
  9. ↑ "Kings sign top draft pick Cousins". Sports.espn.go.com. 2010-07-07. Retrieved 2012-11-12.
  10. ↑ "Kings' Cousins named Rookie of Month for July". Nba.com. 2010-07-18. Retrieved 2012-11-12.
  11. ↑ "Tweet by Sports Illustrated writer Sam Amick". twitter.com. January 1, 2012. Retrieved January 1, 2012.
  12. ↑ "Paul Westphal fired after 2–5 start". espn.go.com. January 6, 2012. Retrieved January 22, 2012.
  13. ↑ Helin, Kurt (2012-11-12). "Players union appeals DeMarcus Cousins suspension – ProBasketballTalk". Probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com. Retrieved 2016-08-21.
  14. ↑ Eric Freeman (2012-11-12). "DeMarcus Cousins got a confusing suspension for confronting Spurs commentator Sean Elliott". Sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2016-08-21.
  15. ↑ Helin, Kurt (2014-03-22). "DeMarcus Cousins delivers unexpected apology to Spurs broadcaster Sean Elliott for last season's incident – ProBasketballTalk". Probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com. Retrieved 2016-08-21.
  16. ↑ "Sacramento Kings suspend DeMarcus Cousins indefinitely for conduct". Espn.go.com. 2012-12-23. Retrieved 2016-08-21.
  17. ↑ "DeMarcus Cousins reinstated by Sacramento Kings". Espn.go.com. 2012-12-24. Retrieved 2016-08-21.
  18. ↑ "DeMarcus Cousins signs 4-year contract extension with Sacramento Kings". Espn.go.com. 2013-09-30. Retrieved 2016-08-21.
  19. ↑ CRAIG MASSEI (2013-09-30). "Kings sign DeMarcus Cousins to 4-year extension". Sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2016-08-21.
  20. ↑ "Kings at Pistons - March 11, 2014 - Game Preview, Play by Play, Scores and Recap on". Nba.com. Retrieved 2016-08-21.
  21. ↑ "DeMarcus Cousins of Sacramento Kings has missed past five games with viral meningitis". Espn.go.com. 2014-12-07. Retrieved 2016-08-21.
  22. ↑ "Bucks at Kings - December 18, 2014 - Game Preview, Play by Play, Scores and Recap on". Nba.com. Retrieved 2016-08-21.
  23. ↑ "DeMarcus Cousins Named to 2015 NBA All-Star Team | Sacramento Kings". Nba.com. 2015-01-30. Retrieved 2016-08-21.
  24. ↑ "Kings at Rockets - April 1, 2015 - Game Preview, Play by Play, Scores and Recap on". Nba.com. Retrieved 2016-08-21.
  25. ↑ "Pelicans at Kings - April 3, 2015 - Game Preview, Play by Play, Scores and Recap on". Nba.com. Retrieved 2016-08-21.
  26. ↑ "Griffin leads Clippers past Kings 111-104 in opener". NBA.com. October 28, 2015. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
  27. ↑ "Leonard has 24 points in Spurs' 106-88 win over Kings". NBA.com. November 9, 2015. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
  28. ↑ "Cousins, Rondo help Kings beat Pistons to stop 6-game skid". NBA.com. November 11, 2015. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
  29. ↑ "Cousins scores 40, Kings beat Nets 111-109". NBA.com. November 13, 2015. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
  30. ↑ "Cousins Named Western Conference Player of the Week". NBA.com. November 16, 2015. Retrieved November 28, 2016.
  31. ↑ "Cousins has 33 points, 19 boards, Kings top Thunder 116-104". NBA.com. January 4, 2016. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  32. ↑ "Cousins has 24 points, 15 rebounds as Kings beat Hawks 91-88". NBA.com. January 21, 2016. Retrieved January 22, 2016.
  33. ↑ "Cousins scores career high 48 as Kings beat Pacers 108-97". NBA.com. January 23, 2016. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  34. ↑ "Cousins Named Western Conference Player of the Week". NBA.com. January 25, 2016. Retrieved November 28, 2016.
  35. ↑ "Cousins scores 56, sets Sacramento record in double-OT loss". NBA.com. January 25, 2016. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
  36. ↑ "DeMarcus Cousins Named To 2016 NBA Western Conference All-Star Team". NBA.com. January 28, 2016. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
  37. ↑ "Kings Unable To Cool Red-Hot Nets". NBA.com. February 5, 2016. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  38. ↑ "Cousin has 37 points, 20 rebounds in Kings' win over Nuggets". NBA.com. February 19, 2016. Retrieved February 21, 2016.
  39. ↑ "Cousins, Gay lead Kings past young Suns 113-94". ESPN.com. October 26, 2016. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  40. ↑ "Leonard, Spurs spoil Kings arena opening with 102-94 win". ESPN.com. October 27, 2016. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  41. ↑ "Howard, Hawks beat Kings for 3-0 start". ESPN.com. October 31, 2016. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
  42. ↑ "Griffin scores 29, Redick 26 as Clippers top Kings 121-115". ESPN.com. November 18, 2016. Retrieved November 28, 2016.
  43. ↑ Moore, Matt (2014-08-23). "Team USA announces 2014 final roster: Lillard, Parsons cut". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 2016-08-21.
  44. ↑ Amick, Sam (August 21, 2016). "Kevin Durant, USA blow out Serbia to win Olympic gold". USAToday.com. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  45. ↑ Jones, Jason (June 18, 2016). "Jaleel Cousins hopes to distinguish himself from brother DeMarcus". Sacbee.com. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
  46. ↑ Karalla, Bobby (October 17, 2016). "Mavericks sign free agent center Jaleel Cousins". MAVS.com. Retrieved October 18, 2016.

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