In the NBA, February is a significant month. Not only does it contain the All-Star Game and the trade deadline, it also is Black History Month and the Chinese New Year, two cultural events that the NBA caters to every year — the former because it’s significant to a huge chunk of their players and fanbase, and the latter because of that Chinese market the NBA loves so much. But when the two coincide, things can get a little dicey, as the Sacramento Kings found out on Monday.
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
— Elder Marques Johnson (@olskool888) February 2, 2016
Bye t-shirts pic.twitter.com/dt9DFxmuJU
— Jason Jones (@mr_jasonjones) February 2, 2016
Apparently DeMarcus Cousins arrived at the arena before the game (he wound up missing it due to a sprained ankle), saw all the Chinese New Year t-shirts with monkeys on them, and successfully lobbied with the staff at Sleep Train Arena to have the shirts removed. Yes, though this is the Year of the Monkey on the Chinese Zodiac calendar, it’s a problematic conflict with the start of Black History Month, for obvious reasons. It’s not surprising that the mistake was caught, but it is surprising that Cousins, having caught it, had the sway to get the whole promotion taken down. It’s a good idea, but spare a thought for those poor arena employees, with all those t-shirts on their backs.
No one will ever accuse Boogie of exercising the same level of influence that LeBron James does in Cleveland, but there’s something really nice about the fact that the team is so receptive to a legitimate concern from their star player, and willing to act on it. The Kings’ organization has been the butt of many jokes in the last season and a half, but they handled this one quite well. There’s been no word on whether the promotion will take place at a later date.
(H/T Deadspin)
