Over the past two weeks NBA players and NBA legends have become vocal on the topic of police brutality and violence in their own communities.
The most recent player to open up on the topic is Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins. Cousins talked to Marc Spears of The Undefeated about an encounter he had with police in high school that had him “scared for (his) life.”
“I remember it being after a high school game. Me and my friends are riding home, we hop out of the car at one of the friends’ house and [the cops] pulled up on us, pulled guns on us and everything,” Cousins told The Undefeated. “The only reason we were good was because we were wearing our school hoodies that read, LeFlore High School. ‘Sir, we are just leaving our high school game.’ ‘What’s your name?’ ‘I’m DeMarcus Cousins.’
“ ‘You’re the young kid from … ’ ‘Yes, that’s me. We are just going home.’ I was scared for my life. We had rifles pulled on us.”
Cousins talked about this following a town hall led by Team USA teammate Carmelo Anthony in Los Angeles which addressed the relationship between the African-American community and the police.
With the recent police killings in Dallas and Baton Rouge, Cousins has come to understand the police point of view a little better. Cousins still talks to the cop who pulled a gun on him.
“I’ve learned about both sides,” Cousins said. “I respect him. I just had dinner with him the other day in Vegas. Me and his son grew up playing basketball together … I know there are good [cops]. I know that there are not good ones.
“He told me the truth, which I respect. The truth is there are good and bad. We know that. That’s the case in a lot of situations. It’s not just with [policemen]. It’s throughout the world.”
Cousins started for Team USA on Friday versus Venezuela and he is thrilled to be a part of Team USA.
“I am extremely proud. I’m representing a lot right now,” Cousins said. “With everything that is going on in America, we’re on a platform now that shows we can unite. Everybody, we can unite. It’s bigger than basketball right now.”
