DeMarcus Cousins confronts local reporter in locker room

Sacramento Kings forward DeMarcus Cousins went after a local writer in a profane locker room tirade.

DeMarcus Cousins has been nothing short of mercurial to date in his NBA career, but he has taken things too far as he repeatedly takes shots at Sacramento Bee reporter Andy Furillo. Cousins is angry at Furillo over a column he wrote investigating a nightclub incident involving Cousins and Matt Barnes. In addition to the column, Furillo has repeatedly called Cousins a cancer in the Kings locker room.

Cousins’ biggest issue with Furillo seems to be about him bringing up an incident involving his younger brother Jaleel, who was tased at a Tampa nightclub earlier this year. The 6’10” power forward can be seen towering over the older reporter, berating him with foul and threatening language. For his part, Furillo holds his ground and does not back down before bystanders intervene.

As documented by the Bee, this is hardly the first time Cousins has interacted with the media in an unacceptable manner.

.mcclatchy-embed{position:relative;padding:40px 0 56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;max-width:100%}.mcclatchy-embed iframe{position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%}

Another Bee columnist, Ailiene Voisin, spoke on Cousins’ recent behavior, “He is a bully, to be sure,” she said. “He bullies everybody. He bullies his coaches, his teammates, team employees, reporters.

“But this is the first time I have heard of him intimidating anyone physically,” said Voisin. “He normally glares, stares and refuses to speak to the cluster of reporters if someone is present that he is annoyed with at that particular time. Or, he will simply refuse to answer a question from an offending reporter.”

The Kings issued a statement that they are looking into the recent incident, but it is unlikely that any serious consequences will follow unless the NBA intervenes. Cousins has had a bad attitude dating back to his days at Kentucky, and no one has been able to control him, not even John Calipari.

Next: NBA 1990s All-Decade First Team

In Sacramento, Cousins was placed in a losing environment, and he has not even shown the slightest hint of maturity or leadership. How much longer his talents allow his flaws to be overlooked remains to be seen.