SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Former NBA star DeMarcus Cousins has been suspended from the National Superior Basketball Association in Puerto Rico after an altercation with fans during a game on Monday.
Cousins, who plays for the Guaynabo Mets, is suspended for the remainder of the season and faces up to $10,000 in fines, according to the league, Baloncesto Superior Nacional.
The incident occurred during Monday’s game between the Mets and the Bayamón Vaqueros at Rubén Rodríguez Coliseum in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. According to video posted to social media, a fan seated courtside appeared to making a “crybaby” gesture towards Cousins, who responds by grabbing his genitals near the spectator’s face. The fan responds by holding two middle fingers up at Cousins, who then pushes the man’s hands away. Cousins’ teammates immediately stepped between the fan and Cousins.
The 6-foot-10, 270-pound Cousins was then escorted off the court while the crowd booed and jeered him, and fans even tossed numerous drinks at him. He responds by pushing back against security, which continues to escort him to the locker room.
Cousins, 34, last played in the NBA during the 2021-22 season for the Milwaukee Bucks and Denver Nuggets. He played 11 seasons in the NBA from 2010-22 after being drafted out of Kentucky by the Sacramento Kings with the fifth overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft.
Cousins, a four-time NBA All-Star, played his first six-plus seasons for the Kings before also playing for the New Orleans Pelicans, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers, Bucks and Nuggets.
For his 11-year NBA career, Cousins averaged 19.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, 3 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.1 blocks in 29.8 minutes across 654 games.