If someone is searching for an example of injury ruining a career, they need not look further than DeMarcus Cousins. A 6ft 10-inch center, Cousins was unstoppable in his prime. He was one of the few players who could dominate in the paint and had a sense of tenacity to his game.
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Selected as the fifth overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft by the Sacramento Kings, Cousins quickly established a name for himself in the league. He was known for his scoring ability, rebounding, and being a physical presence on the court.
Boogie played seven seasons for the Kings and continuously improved his scoring from 14 PPG to 27.8 PPG. He was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans where he suffered a career-altering Achilles injury, and since has seen his minutes and production dive.
DeMarcus Cousins considered Charles Barkley an inspiration
Growing up in Alabama, DeMarcus Cousins was a fan of the local basketball hero – Charles Barkley. In the podcast with Kevin Garnett, he elaborated on how he took parts of the game from different players in the league but believed Chuck had a complete game. Here is what he said:
“The guy that I felt like was a combination of everybody was Charles Barkley, who is really who I feel I played like. I was a bigger version of him but we played similar.”
Boogie also mentions superstars Shaquille O’Neal, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Carmelo Anthony, Pau Gasol, and Zach Randolph in the interview. They all had something to contribute to his game. He talks about knowing his weaknesses and adapting his game to use them as strengths.
Cousins’ Relationship with Charles Barkley
The relationship between Charles and Cousins has reached a stage beyond repair, as both players have condemned each other in the media for years. The feud stemmed from Cousins’ high school game in Alabama, which Barkley had criticized. Since then, there have been numerous incidents, including the firing of head coach Paul Westphal and the Kings consulting Cousins for hiring a coach.
In the interview, however, Cousins talks about how he was a huge fan of Barkley and wanted him to be his big brother in the league. With an evident disappointment in his tone, Cousins talks about not having a veteran to mentor him in the league.
“He wasn’t a fan of me while I was a fan of him.Coming into the league I never had a big bro in the league coming from Alabama. It should have been Barkley, I was hoping it would have been but those things didn’t align.”
