“Send Me Weird Selfies”: DeMarcus Cousins Opens Up on Rick Carlisle’s Tactics to Recruit Him to Mavericks

For this generation of fans, DeMarcus Cousins is more an analyst than an NBA legend. Cousins was, of course, one of the best players in the league during his prime, so when the two-time All-NBA big man hit the open market, plenty of teams cam,e calling including the Dallas Mavericks. At the time, Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle had high levels of interest in luring Cousins to the Lone Star state but his methods of recruitment were unconventional, to say the least.

Carlisle has had the privilege of coaching some incredible talent, including Dirk Nowitzki, Reggie Miller, Jermaine O’Neal and Jason Kidd. He looked at Cousins like he was the next infinity stone, to be added to the list.

To be fair, for a stretch of about 5 years, Cousins lived up to that reputation. Unfortunately, injuries derailed what should’ve been a longer and more successful career. Regardless, Carlisle believed Cousins could be a difference maker for Dallas as they prepared for the eventual post-Nowitzki era. However, instead of flying out and meeting up with Cousins, Carlisle took the scenic route.

“Rick Carlisle would send me weird selfies and say, ‘I’m thinking about you, and I really want to coach you,'” Cousins said on FanDuel TV’s Run It Back.

Rick Carlisle tried to recruit Boogie Cousins to Dallas with SELFIES?!

“He’d send me weird selfies and say, ‘I’m thinking about you and I really want to coach you.'”

Boogie didn’t know how to respond & left the HC on read @MichelleDBeadle | @boogiecousins | @TeamLou23 pic.twitter.com/rkb5TCIoyS

— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) January 9, 2026

Michelle Beadle and Lou Williams couldn’t believe what they heard. Cousins attempted to continue talking, but Williams demanded he circle back to his previous statement.

The four-time All-Star made sure to settle any doubts that Williams had. He was more confused than anyone else when he initially received those messages. It turned out to go against Carlisle’s recruiting hopes.

“I don’t know him that well, but I do know he was very interested in me joining Dallas. As far as the selfies, I don’t know what that s*** was. I left him on read,” Cousins proclaimed.

Some people would hold judgment toward Carlisle for those actions, but Cousins has moved on. He doesn’t let that experience cloud his mind when it comes to analyzing Carlisle as a coach. Following his historic 1000th win, Cousins only has positive things to say about the Pacers’ head coach.

“As far as his legacy as a coach, obviously, he’s well respected in this league. He’s a championship coach. He’s one of 11 coaches to make 1000 career wins, so obviously, he’s one of those guys in the league,” Cousins added.

Well, given the legacy Carlisle has left behind, it would only be fair to accept the man for his eccentric behavior. The NBA is a much more interesting place with him in it.