Is there still bad blood between former Sacramento Kings coach George Karl and the team’s former star DeMarcus Cousins?
On Monday, Karl fired back at Cousins — who played under him for one season (2015-16) in Sacramento — after the Nuggets center slammed the franchise in a recent interview.
“What did Sac do for me? Besides say my name [draft day]. I did more for them than they did for me,” Cousins told Andscape, explaining why he wished he had skipped his 2010 draft day workout with the Kings. “That’s just being honest. Just being 100 percent honest. I had two owners, three GMs, seven coaches in seven years. I was there seven years.”
On Monday, Karl quote-tweeted Cousins’ quote, writing that the Kings, “Paid you approx $50M and gave you the opportunity to play professional basketball for a living.”
In a separate tweet, Karl wrote, “I grew up blue collar with a mindset to always appreciate the gifts, mentors and opportunities I was given. And I learned to never upset the basketball gods. Cause they are watching and karma is real.”
The Kings selected Cousins fifth-overall in the 2010 NBA Draft. In 2013, he signed a reported four-year, $62 million max contract extension with the team.
Karl and Cousins had a contentious relationship which saw them get into a heated exchange after a loss to the Spurs during their lone season together. Cousins later issued a public apology, and Karl was fired after the season. He hasn’t coached since.
Cousins averaged 21.1 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game on 45 percent shooting and earned three All-Star nods across seven seasons with the Kings.
Cousins’ best playing years were spent in Sacramento, before he was traded to the Pelicans in 2017, where he had some success alongside Anthony Davis. Since then, he’s battled a series of injuries.
The Kentucky product now plays a limited role with Denver, which is facing an 0-2 deficit in their first round playoff series against the Warriors.
Game 3 is set for Thursday at 10 p.m. ET in Denver.
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