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Former Kings player DeMarcus Cousins had harsh words for the Sacramento media following a livestream gaffe in which reporters were overheard calling two current players “hella fine.”
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Cousins denounced Sacramento reporters as “corrupt” and “biased” on the NBA Hoops chat on X following the hot mic gaffe.
The incident, first reported by Barstool Sports, took place during a KCRA livestream of the NBA media day event Monday in Sacramento. The station stopped and deleted the first livestream with the comments, then began a new one, The Sacramento Bee reported.
Reporters commented that players Ben Simmons and Zach LaVine are “hella fine,” but one called Simmons “cringe.”
Another commented that LaVine has an “annoying” personality and calls him a “prick,” according to a recording of the livestream.
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“I’m not surprised,” Cousins said on the chat. He said the reporters in question, who mostly seemed to be women although they have not been named, would face more severe consequences for their comments if they were men, calling the comments “really ugly.”
Cousins accused a Sacramento reporter of once lifting up his shirt to admire his physique.
He said the incident made him feel “uneasy” but as a young rookie player, he didn’t know how to handle it. Cousins said he complained to Kings team officials, who told him to ignore it.
Cousins now plays for the Selenge Bodons of the Mongolian Basketball League. A former Kentucky Wildcats player in college, he played for the Kings from 2010 to 2017, followed by the New Orleans Pelicans, the Golden State Warriors, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Houston Rockets, the Milwaukee Bucks and the Denver Nuggets before moving to leagues overseas.
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He was named an NBA All-Star four times.