On November 11, 2012, the league suspended Cousins for two games without pay for confronting San Antonio Spurs color commentator Sean Elliott "in a hostile manner" after he criticized Cousins for attempting to bully Tim Duncan on the court. He played for Team Chuck, with a mix of rookies and sophomores. On February 8, 2012, Cousins was selected to play in the Rising Stars Challenge. On January 5, 2012, Westphal was fired from the Kings, leading many to speculate that the head coach's tumultuous relationship with Cousins was a factor in his being replaced. Cousins later denied asking to be traded. On January 1, 2012, head coach Paul Westphal sent Cousins home from the Kings' home game against the New Orleans Hornets, saying that Cousins was "unwilling/unable to embrace traveling in the same direction as his team it cannot be ignored indefinitely." Cousins, who had been averaging 13.0 points and 11.3 rebounds per game at the time of the dismissal, reportedly demanded to be traded from the Kings. Cousins was also named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team at the end of the 2010–11 season. Cousins was named the Rookie of the Month for July during the NBA Summer League. On July 7, 2010, Cousins signed his rookie contract with the Kings, worth about $7 million for the first two years with a team option for the third and fourth years. On April 7, 2010, Cousins announced that he would forgo his final three seasons of collegiate eligibility and enter the 2010 NBA draft, where he was selected by the Sacramento Kings with the fifth overall pick.
Professional career Sacramento Kings (2010–2017) 2010–14: All-Rookie honors and controversies Led by Cousins and John Wall, the Wildcats reached the Elite Eight of the 2010 NCAA Tournament. At Kentucky, Cousins averaged 15.1 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game.
He signed his letter of intent on April 15. On April 7, 2009, Cousins decided to follow John Calipari to Kentucky. He reopened his recruitment after then Memphis coach John Calipari was hired at Kentucky. Cousins decommitted from UAB and committed to Memphis on March 9, 2009. Retrieved March 4, 2017.Ĭousins first committed to Alabama-Birmingham on February 28, 2008, but never signed a letter of intent. "Kentucky Wildcats 2009 Player Commits"."2009 Kentucky College Basketball Team Recruiting Prospects"."2009 Kentucky Basketball Commitment List".In these cases, the average was taken.
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 2 (C) 3 (national) 1 (school) Rivals: 1 (PF) 2 (national) ESPN: 1 (C)
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 98 US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
He led LeFlore to the Alabama class 6A Final Four against Hillcrest that beat Austin High School to progress to the state championship falling short to future college teammate Eric Bledsoe and Parker High School. Cousins also played in the 2009 Nike Hoop Summit at the Rose Garden in Portland and the Jordan Brand Classic at Madison Square Garden where he scored 10 points for the black team. He was a first-team Parade All-American in 2009 and played in the 2009 McDonald's All-American Boys Game, finishing with 14 points and 8 rebounds. 3.1.3 2016–17: Final season in SacramentoĬousins attended LeFlore Magnet High School.3.1.1 2010–14: All-Rookie honors and controversies.Consensus second-team All-American ( 2010).Cousins with the Golden State Warriors in 2019