DeMarcus Cousins is hoping to turn his on-court image around in 2017-18 as he enters his first full season with the Pelicans. The mercurial big man’s talents have never been in question, but his temper and occasional lapses in effort have made him a frustrating figure for fans, coaches, and teammates at times.
With friend and fellow former Kentucky Wildcat Anthony Davis at his side, Cousins insists he’s coming into this season in great shape and has more focus on defense than he has entering any prior year. He also seems ready to embrace his image as one of the league’s “bad boys,” for lack of a better term, and is steering into the skid in a sense with his new Foot Locker commercial.
Cousins joins Ndamukong Suh, who like Cousins is a dominant presence on the field but has his issues with his temper and perceived dirty play, to poke fun at their reputations. The two walk through a parking garage, talking about how its unfair how they’re portrayed, oblivious to their transgressions like not holding the elevator door for an old lady and taking down a guy on crutches.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlAYur_YAaU
This is just the latest hilarious ad from Foot Locker that gets athletes to make fun of themselves. Last year, their spot with D’Angelo Russell warning rookies of the perils of social media by launching a cell phone into the ocean was spectacular, as was their ad with Ja Rule driving for Uber.
This time, it’s Cousins and Suh playing into their reputations as dirty or temperamental players and doing so in hysterical fashion.
“Just like on the field in the NFL, you’ll see in this commercial I don’t have ‘bad guy’ intentions,” said Suh, jokingly.
“A few fouls or techs later and there’s a whole narrative laying out your reputation,” Cousins said. “Making light of these competitive ‘mishaps’ with Foot Locker and Ndamukong was a lot of fun.”
Suh stepping on the guy with a broken leg’s ankle while on the ground probably hit a little close to home for some NFL quarterbacks, but it’s always fun to see athletes embrace their faults for the sake of comedy.
