DeMarcus Cousins convinced Kings to nix T-shirt giveaway
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Around the NBA, players and coaches wore shirts on Monday celebrating the first day of Black History Month.
Here's the shirt:
Shirts players and coaches are sporting in NBA tonight... pic.twitter.com/JBXaaAIfjG
— Marques Johnson (@olskool888) February 2, 2016
But in Sacramento, the Kings were also looking to celebrate the Lunar New Year -- which is next Monday -- with a shirt giveaway for fans.
DeMarcus Cousins, the team's young star center, saw a problem with the shirts, however. The shirts featured a monkey in Kings' purple and proclaimed it the "Year of the Monkey."
Here's that shirt:
Lunar New Year celebration tonight at Sleep Train Arena. cc: @kfippin pic.twitter.com/P4AzTNuyj3
— James Ham (@James_Ham) February 2, 2016
So he called former NBA player Marques Johnson, now an analyst for the visiting Milwaukee Bucks, over for a second opinion.
From Johnson's Facebook page: I walk into the building and DeMarcus Cousins calls me over to an animated discussion he's having with Kings operations people. He ask me, "Olskool, what you think about this T Shirt? Told him a little insensitive on 1st day of Black History Month". They pulled the shirts...
I walk into the building and DeMarcus Cousins calls me over to an animated discussion he's having with Kings operations...
Posted by Marques Johnson on Monday, February 1, 2016
Soon after, the shirts were removed, as you can see below:
DeMarcus voices his displeasure and to the Kings credit they pull the Monkey T Shirts... pic.twitter.com/bHSz4KVinh
— Marques Johnson (@olskool888) February 2, 2016
Good move Kings. Year of Monkey Tees on 1 st day of Black History Month not a good look. Thanks DeMarcus... pic.twitter.com/wvqkdgdr7r
— Marques Johnson (@olskool888) February 2, 2016
And as you can see, the Kings still had plenty of Lunar New Year cheer to go around.
Rondo's ready. https://t.co/DxcaDbjSIh
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) February 2, 2016
And then everyone went home happy.
When @boogiecousins is just as hyped to high-five the fans as they are him... pic.twitter.com/iXSoPEx0r4
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) February 2, 2016
(h/t Deadspin)
![DeMarcus Cousins](https://b.fssta.com/uploads/application/nba/headshots/1641.vresize.160.160.medium.0.png)