Source: Gene Wang / Getty
DeMarcus Cousins might not be in the NBA anymore, but his role as an enforcer hasn’t changed.
He’s currently playing in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional league in Puerto Rico as a member of the Guaynabo Mets, and he got ejected. It’s not something he’s foreign to, having been kicked out of 14 NBA games, tying him for the sixth most in league history.
It started with Cousins hanging by the sideline when a courtside fan gave him the middle finger, and Cousins responded by grabbing his crotch and then swatting at the man. His teammates jumped in before anything could escalate and tried to separate them. Still, they kept jawing at each other as referees blew whistles, eventually ejecting Cousins.
Then, as he’s walking through the tunnel to the locker room, he’s grilling fans in the crowd when one gives him the middle finger. He responds by lunging at him, so the man throws a drink on him, while others follow suit. In protest, Cousins immediately turned around and tried to confront the attendees. Still, several security guards held him back, even as he tried to get up from the ground after falling.
It’s unclear what further kind of punishment Cousins will receive. The four-time NBA All-Star hasn’t played in the NBA since his 2022 stint with the Denver Nuggets. The following year, he’d join the Mets before playing in Mongolia and Taiwan, but ultimately returned to the island of Puerto Rico.
He was a dominating force with the Sacramento Kings until 2017, when he was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans. But a year after arriving, he tore his left Achilles in a game against the Houston Rockets. That ended his NOLA stint, and then he’d tear his quad during the playoffs as a member of the Golden State Warriors in 2019. Injuries sidelined him again in 2020 when he tore his ACL during an offseason pickup game. He was a member of the Los Angeles Lakers’ championship team that season, but never actually played.
But as he finds his way outside of the NBA, see how social media is reacting to his fiery on-court attitude below.