The NBA is investigating the allegations made by DeMarcus Cousins’ ex-girlfriend against the Los Angeles Lakers big man, a spokesman said on Tuesday.
Earlier in the day, TMZ Sports released an audio clip that allegedly shows Cousins threatening to kill ex-girlfriend Christy West for not allowing the couple’s 7-year-old son to attend the center’s wedding to wife Morgan Lang over the weekend. The audio recording was included as part of a court and police filing.
West allegedly is seeking a restraining order and some custody restrictions against Cousins, though she’s said to be open to supervised visitations. West has also apparently accused Cousins of choking her in a past incident and of making a previous death threat towards her.
The Lakers have said they are aware of the allegations.
“We are aware of the allegation involving DeMarcus Cousins and, of course, take this claim seriously. We are in the process of gathering information and will reserve further comment at this time.”
The NBA said they are investigating.
NBA spokesman Mike Bass on the DeMarcus Cousins audio: "We are aware of the report regarding DeMarcus Cousins and are investigating the allegations."
— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) August 27, 2019
Threatening to kill someone is a serious matter, but there are different kinds of threats. There are serious death threats, and there are ones people say in exaggerating fashion, such as “I want to kill my boss” when they’re frustrated at work. The league, police and court will likely be trying to decipher whether this was more of a frustrated utterance or legitimate threat. Other factors that should be examined include whether West was trying to set up Cousins. Why was she recording their conversation in the first place? Why did it sound like she was almost teasing Cousins by telling him their son could not attend the wedding? And if she felt legitimately threatened, why did she not have a reaction? The audio clip did not seem natural.
This entire story and allegation is one-sided as well. No explanation has been given for why West would be preventing Cousins’ son from attending a major life moment for his father. An investigator will also likely want to hear Cousins’ side of the story and more from West on why she wouldn’t let the child attend the wedding.
