High school basketball star Maori Davenport has one prominent NBA figure in her corner over her controversial suspension.
Davenport, an 18-year-old forward-center for Charles Henderson High School in Troy, Ala., was recently ruled ineligible for her senior season after cashing a check that was mistakenly sent to her by USA Basketball. Davenport helped lead the United States to a gold medal over the summer at the FIBA Americas U18 Championships, and the check was meant to serve as a stipend for lost wages and other costs associated with her suiting up for her country.
That being said though, the Alabama High School Athletic Association does not allow payments of over $250, and the erroneous check was for $857.20. Despite USA Basketball subsequently notifying Henderson and the AHSAA upon realizing their mistake (as well as Davenport returning the money), the association has refused to rescind her suspension.
On Saturday, Golden State Warriors star DeMarcus Cousins, an Alabama native who played his high school ball there, tweeted his take on the situation.
“What the Alabama High School Athletic Association has done to Maori Davenport is wrong on so many levels that I don’t know where to start,” he wrote. “I know what this feels like because I was treated like s— by them too. Being a kid from Alabama, I’m with Maori Davenport. Fix this now!”
Davenport, who recently committed to Rutgers for college, has also received public support from the WNBA and sporting goods giant Spalding among others. As for Cousins, he is often vocal about issues affecting his home state.
