Amanda Knapp
DeMarcus Amir Cousins, nicknamed Boogie, is an American professional basketball player. Boogie played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats, earning consensus second-team All-American honors in 2010. He was drafted by the Sacramento Kings in 2010 and played for them until 2018. Boogie was a four-time NBA All-Star and a two-time gold medal winner with the United States national team. However, his career was also marked by controversies, including suspensions for confronting a commentator and for unprofessional behavior. In 2024, Boogie announced that he was no longer pursuing an NBA comeback and has since played for various teams outside the NBA. Boogie's brother, Jaleel Cousins, is also a professional basketball player.
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DeMarcus Cousins, also known as Boogie
DeMarcus Amir Cousins, nicknamed "Boogie", is an American professional basketball player. He was born on August 13, 1990, in Mobile, Alabama, and played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats, earning consensus second-team All-American honors in 2010. Cousins left Kentucky after one season and was selected as the fifth overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft by the Sacramento Kings. During his first season with the Kings, Cousins was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team, and from 2015 to 2018, he was named an NBA All-Star four times.
Cousins has had a successful career in the NBA, but he has also been involved in several controversies. In November 2012, he was suspended for two games without pay for confronting a commentator who criticized him for attempting to bully another player. Cousins was later suspended indefinitely from the Kings in December 2012 for "unprofessional behavior and conduct detrimental to the team". In 2019, Cousins made headlines again when an audio recording captured him threatening to kill his ex-girlfriend after she refused to let their son attend his wedding. As a result, an arrest warrant was issued for misdemeanor domestic violence and harassing communications charges.
Despite these setbacks, Cousins has achieved notable successes in his basketball career. He is a two-time gold medal winner as a member of the United States national team, winning his first gold medal in 2014 at the FIBA Basketball World Cup and his second in 2016 at the Rio Olympics. After his time with the Sacramento Kings, Cousins played for various teams, including the Mets de Guaynabo of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional in Puerto Rico, with whom he last played in 2025.
On February 23, 2024, Cousins announced that he was no longer trying to return to the NBA, stating that he was in a good place in his life and excited about new opportunities. He has since played for teams outside of the NBA, such as the Taiwan Beer Leopards, the Selenge Bodons in Mongolia, and the Guaynabo Mets in the BSN league. However, his contract with the Mets was terminated in June 2025 after a clash with fans during a game.
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Cousins' career in the NBA
DeMarcus Amir Cousins, nicknamed "Boogie", is an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats, earning consensus second-team All-American honours in 2010. After leaving Kentucky, Cousins was selected with the fifth overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft by the Sacramento Kings.
In his first season with the Kings, Cousins was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. During his time with the Kings, Cousins gained a reputation for his aggressive behaviour. In November 2012, he was suspended for two games without pay for confronting a commentator who had criticised him for attempting to bully an opponent. Later that year, in December, Cousins was suspended indefinitely by the Kings, who accused him of "unprofessional behaviour and conduct detrimental to the team". Despite these setbacks, Cousins' talent was recognised, and he was named a Western Conference All-Star reserve for the 2015 NBA All-Star Game. He became the first Kings player to earn All-Star honours since 2004. Cousins went on to be named an NBA All-Star four times from 2015 to 2018.
Some of Cousins' notable achievements during his NBA career include multiple high-scoring games. On January 23, 2016, he scored a career-high 48 points against the Indiana Pacers. He then topped this achievement by scoring 56 points against the Charlotte Hornets just a few days later, setting a record for the 2015-16 season. On November 3, 2017, Cousins had another impressive performance with 20 points, 22 rebounds, and seven assists in a win over the Dallas Mavericks. He also had several games with at least 30 points and 20 rebounds during the 2017-18 season, making him the first player to achieve this since Kevin Love in 2010-11.
In addition to his NBA career, Cousins represented the United States national team on multiple occasions. He won two gold medals, the first at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup and the second at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Cousins' last known NBA team was the Denver Nuggets. On February 23, 2024, Cousins announced that he was no longer trying to return to the NBA, bringing his 12-year career in the league to a close.
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Boogie's social justice stances
DeMarcus Amir Cousins, nicknamed "Boogie", is an American professional basketball player. Boogie has taken several strong stances on social justice issues. On one occasion, Boogie noticed the marketing team decorating each of the stadium's 20,000 seats with a celebratory shirt featuring a monkey on it. He deemed the shirts to be racist and demanded their removal. Despite attempts to explain that the shirts were intended to cater to Sacramento's large Asian fan base and promote the Chinese New Year celebrations, Boogie remained steadfast in his interpretation of the shirts as racist. His stance forced the marketing team to comply and remove the shirts. This incident solidified Boogie's reputation for taking tough positions on social justice matters, particularly regarding racial issues.
In another instance, Boogie confronted San Antonio Spurs colour commentator Sean Elliott for criticising him for attempting to bully Tim Duncan on the court. Boogie's behaviour was deemed "hostile", resulting in a two-game suspension without pay. While some criticised the suspension as excessive, it also sparked a broader discussion about the potential impact of Boogie's reputation on the decision. Boogie eventually apologised to Elliott in person before a game in March 2014, which Elliott appreciated.
Boogie's strong personality and unwavering commitment to his beliefs have been consistent throughout his career. On February 23, 2024, Boogie announced that he would no longer pursue an NBA comeback. He expressed contentment with his life outside of the NBA and excitement for new chapters and opportunities. Boogie's decision to move on from the NBA after 12 years reflects his willingness to prioritise his well-being and explore new avenues.
In addition to his social justice stances, Boogie has had some controversies off the court. In August 2019, an audio recording surfaced in which Boogie threatened to kill his ex-girlfriend due to a dispute regarding their son's attendance at Boogie's wedding. As a result, Boogie faced legal consequences, including an arrest warrant for misdemeanour domestic violence and harassing communications charges.
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Cousins' misdemeanour domestic violence charge
DeMarcus Amir Cousins, nicknamed "Boogie", is an American professional basketball player. In August 2019, Cousins was involved in a domestic violence controversy. An audio recording surfaced in which Cousins could allegedly be heard threatening to kill his ex-girlfriend, Christy West, after she refused to let their son attend his wedding. As a result of the recording, the Mobile municipal court in Alabama issued an arrest warrant for Cousins on a misdemeanour domestic violence charge, specifically for harassing communications.
In the recording, a man can be heard saying, "I'm gonna make sure I put a bullet in your f--king head." TMZ Sports, which released the recording, reported that West had filed a restraining order against Cousins, alleging that he had choked her and threatened to kill her in the past. West is the mother of Cousins' 7-year-old child.
Following the release of the audio, the Lakers, Cousins' team at the time, issued a statement acknowledging the allegations and stating that they were investigating the matter. Cousins was likely to miss the entire 2019-20 season due to a torn ACL injury sustained during an offseason workout.
In addition to the misdemeanour domestic violence charge, Cousins was also charged with third-degree harassing communications. Cousins' career has included several suspensions and controversies, including confrontations with a commentator and allegations of unprofessional behaviour.
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Boogie Fland, a high school basketball player
Boogie Fland is a highly-rated high school basketball player. As a sophomore, Fland was one of the first two New York City high school basketball players to receive NIL deals. He developed a clothing line with Accelerate Sports Ventures while also promoting the NIL merchandise platform Spreadshop.
Fland is a five-star recruit, according to ESPN and Rivals, and a four-star recruit per 247Sports. He received over 30 recruiting offers from NCAA Division 1 basketball programs. In October 2023, he committed to playing college basketball for Kentucky over Alabama and Indiana. However, he decommitted from Kentucky in April 2024 after coach John Calipari left for Arkansas, opting to follow Calipari and join him at his new school.
Fland represented the United States under-17 basketball team at the 2022 FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cup, averaging the second-most assists on the team. His nickname, 'Boogie', comes from his childhood habit of always dancing.
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Frequently asked questions
Boogie is the nickname of DeMarcus Amir Cousins, an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats and was selected with the fifth overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft by the Sacramento Kings.
Boogie did not leave the Sacramento Kings. He was drafted by them in 2010 and played for them until 2018.
Boogie was terminated by the Mets after he clashed with fans who threw beer on him. He was restrained and later suspended for the rest of the season.
Boogie announced in February 2024 that he no longer plans to return to the NBA. However, he has since played for teams in Mongolia, Dubai, and Taiwan.
