George Karl fires back at DeMarcus Cousins over criticism
Mar 15, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings head coach George Karl reacts during an NBA game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center. The Kings defeated the Lakers 106-98. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
George Karl coached DeMarcus Cousins for a brief time with the Sacramento Kings, and the former coach did not appreciate the recent comments Cousins made about the franchise.
In an interview with Marc J. Spears that was published on Monday, Cousins said one of his career regrets is not skipping his pre-draft workout with the Kings. The veteran big man wishes he snubbed Sacramento prior to the 2010 NBA Draft to discourage them from picking him. Why? Cousins says the Kings are a losing franchise who “sucked” before he got there, when he was there, and after he left.
Cousins spoke about how many different coaches he had during his time in Sacramento. He also asked what team ever did for him. Karl provided an answer to that question.
Paid you approx $50M and gave you the opportunity to play professional basketball for a living. 🤔😳 https://t.co/KToj2OI82p
— George Karl (@CoachKarl22) April 18, 2022
Karl and Cousins did not get along during their time together with the Kings. It was obvious that Karl wanted nothing to do with the four-time All-Star. The two have not smoothed things over since, and this is not the first time Karl has thrown shade at Cousins publicly.
Cousins is certainly right that the Kings have been a losing franchise for a long time. You can understand why he feels like a portion of his career was wasted in Sacramento.
