DeMarcus Cousins has been no stranger to back-and-forth spats with road fans, dating back to his young days with the Sacramento Kings to today, as the heel of the Golden State Warriors' league of supervillains.
It was only two years ago that the former Kings franchise player flipped off a Warriors fan on his way into the tunnel, a clip that sparked controversy and led to a hefty fine for the four-time All-Star big man:
“It’s crazy. I remember the whole incident with the whole ‘F*** Golden State’ thing,” Cousins told Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. “I remember specifically those fans talking crazy to me the entire game, and then I come out the game and it’s those same exact fans. And I knew they were Golden State fans, so I said what I said. I talked to the league. I’m like, ‘Such and such and such was said. We was getting called b****es and all this other stuff, punk boys, whatever.’ But they was like, ‘All right, but you flipped them off.’ I’m pretty sure them dudes are still enjoying games [today]. So it’s like I’m the bad guy because I react?”
Fan entitlement has been brought to the limelight after an incident with Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook was investigated, resulting in a ban for said fan, along with a ban for another who messed with Westbrook, calling him “boy” during the first round of the playoffs last season:
“I think it kind of went viral with the whole Russ thing,” said Cousins. “I’m sure that played a part in it. He’s had multiple instances in that same city. You even got the one clip of the guy flipping Russ off. Like, when does the game get that serious for a fan? Why are you that angry? This dude is literally out there putting a ball through a hoop. How do you get that angry?”
Cousins has had as many, if not more, incidents with fans as Westbrook, but his reputation is likely to precede him and give relatively poor optics on his position.
Fact of the matter is, regardless of reputation, all players deserve the same respect, no matter the team they play for, the rivalry, or style of expressing emotions. The Utah Jazz have already put a zero tolerance policy in place, and it won't be long before other teams do the same in hopes to put an end to this controversy and the ghastly results emanating from it.
Follow Us
Subscribe