DeMarcus Cousins is back in Sacramento, and he heard it from his former fans on Thursday night.
But what was it, exactly? Would the Kings fans he played for until this past February boo him since he was traded after the All-Star Game in New Orleans? Cousins was always enigmatic, and he’s known for the trouble he caused with technical fouls just as much as he was for his dominant play and work within the community. Plus there’s always an anticipation that when a star “comes home” with a new team, they’ll be greeted with boos.
But much to the contrary, Cousins received a warm welcome from the Kings crowd in his first game with the Pelicans in Sacramento, getting cheers during his pregame introduction.
Huge ovation for DeMarcus Cousins when he was announced in the starting lineups pic.twitter.com/PMgrQFgcAi
— Will Guillory (@WillGuillory) October 27, 2017
TNT cut into its pregame coverage to show Cousins’ introduction as well. And while many on the panel speculated about a 50/50 split between boos and cheers, it seemed like most of the crowd showed its appreciation for the former Kings star.
Sounds from @boogiecousin's intro in Sacramento 🔊. pic.twitter.com/VvrfNQYzmY
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) October 27, 2017
Many expected that Cousins would hear from the Sacramento crowd in one way or another, but nearly everyone there said the fans were positive towards the All-Star big man when Boogie took the floor.
DeMarcus Cousins is introduced third by the public address announcer here in Sacramento, and he gets a near unanimous standing ovation.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) October 27, 2017
It’s a nice gesture from fans of a team in transition that perhaps recognized Cousins truly enjoyed playing there. And even the Kings themselves had video of the crowd reacting to Boogie on Thursday night.
https://twitter.com/SacramentoKings/status/923749086792097792
Sometimes, everyone just has to move on. But it’s nice to be cordial about things like this, too.
