“DeMarcus Cousins they paid you $50M”: George Karl tries shutting up Boogie, says Sacramento Kings gave him opportunity to play professional basketball for a living

It’s a fact around the league that DeMarcus Cousins was mistreated by both of the first two franchises he played for even after giving his heart and soul.

DeMarcus Cousins is one of the few best things that happened to the Sacramento Kings franchise. Although they ended things similarly to how they do with most of their potential superstars, Cousins put them on notice. 

The Kings having missed Playoffs four times in a row were desperately looking for a guy to build around when they picked DeMarcus as the 5th pick in the 2010 Draft. But still wouldn’t make it thereafter getting one of the best big men in the league for years to come. 

Over seven years in Sacramento, Cousins averaged 21.1 points, 10.8 rebounds, and over 2 assists, a steal, and a block per game. However, the constant change in management never helped anyone in doing anything successfully.

Also read: “They sucked before I got there, they sucked when I was there, they sucked after I left!”: DeMarcus Cousins wishes he skipped Sacramento Kings’ pre-draft workout

In a recent interview with Marc Spears of Andscape, Cousins talked about the one thing he’d change in his career if he could go back and do it differently. 

“I would’ve skipped my draft workout” Boogie started. 

“What did Sac do for me? Besides, say my name [draft day]. I did more for them than they did for me. That’s just being honest. Just being 100% honest. I had two owners, three GMs, and seven coaches in seven years. I was there seven years.” Cousins repeated, “I had three GMs, two owners, and seven coaches. Not much more needs to be said.” 

George Karl tries hitting back at DeMarcus Cousins

The modern-day big man is the cast that DeMarcus Cousins made since he came into the league. A constant threat on every spot of a basketball court, the 4x All-Star could never do what he should have because of a couple of unprecedented trades and following career-ending injuries. 

But his time with the Kings had made him one of the most wanted big men in the league. His last year coach in Sacramento, George Karl responded to Boggie’s thrashing of his former club. 

Paid you approx $50M and gave you the opportunity to play professional basketball for a living. 🤔😳 https://t.co/KToj2OI82p

— George Karl (@CoachKarl22) April 18, 2022

While that figure is really short of the overall money the Cousins made with the Kings, how is that attitude enough to treat a player of his caliber. Maybe that’s how they kept it during his time with the organization. If a coach of the year comes out with this kind of message, the culture actually was toxic there.

Also read: “Bernard King was arrested for drunk driving and cocaine possession”: When the Knicks legend’s substance-abuse problem almost landed Phil Jackson a Head coaching job 10-years earlier

About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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