DeMarcus Cousins
Encyclopedia
DeMarcus Cousins is an American
professional
basketball
player with the Sacramento Kings
of the National Basketball Association
. He played college basketball
at the University of Kentucky
.
. He had 14 points and 8 rebounds. Cousins also played in the 2009 Nike Hoop Summit
at the Rose Garden in Portland
and the Jordan Brand Classic at Madison Square Garden
where he scored 10 points for the black team. Cousins led LeFlore to the Alabama class 6A Final Four against Hillcrest that beat Austin High School to progress to the state championship; falling short to future college teammate Eric Bledsoe
and Parker High School.
on February 28, 2008 but never signed a letter of intent
because he wanted to be released if UAB's head coach, Mike Davis
, left for another school. Cousins decomitted from UAB and committed to Memphis on March 9, 2009. He reopened his recruitment after then Memphis coach John Calipari
was hired at Kentucky. On April 7, 2009, Cousins decided to follow John Calipari to Kentucky. He signed his Letter of Intent on April 15. At Kentucky, Cousins averaged 15.1 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game. Led by Cousins and John Wall
, the Wildcats reached the Elite Eight
of the 2010 NCAA Tournament
.
, where he was selected by the Sacramento Kings
with the fifth overall pick. On July 7, 2010, Cousins signed his rookie contract with the Kings. The contract is worth about $7 million the first two years with a team option for the third and fourth years. Cousins was named the Rookie of the Month for July. Cousins was also named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team at the end of the 2010-2011 season.
| align="left" | 2010–11
| align="left" | Sacramento
| 81 || 62 || 28.5 || .430 || .167 || .687 || 8.6 || 2.5 || 1.0 || 0.8 || 14.1
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 81 || 62 || 28.5 || .430 || .167 || .687 || 8.6 || 2.5 || 1.0 || 0.8 || 14.1
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional
Professional
A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...
basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player with the Sacramento Kings
Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
of the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
. He played college basketball
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
at the University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
.
High school career
Cousins was named to the 2009 McDonald's All-American TeamMcDonald's All-American Team
The McDonald's All-American Game refers to each of the all-star basketball games played each year for boys' and girls' high-school basketball graduates. Consisting of the top American and Canadian players, each team plays a single exhibition game after the conclusion of the high-school basketball...
. He had 14 points and 8 rebounds. Cousins also played in the 2009 Nike Hoop Summit
Nike Hoop Summit
The Nike Hoop Summit is a basketball all-star game sponsored by Nike, held once a year, which features the USA Basketball Men's Junior Select Team against a World Select team of international players. The players demonstrate their skills and hope to attract attention from either NBA scouts or...
at the Rose Garden in Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
and the Jordan Brand Classic at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
where he scored 10 points for the black team. Cousins led LeFlore to the Alabama class 6A Final Four against Hillcrest that beat Austin High School to progress to the state championship; falling short to future college teammate Eric Bledsoe
Eric Bledsoe
Eric Bledsoe is an American basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers. He was selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder with the 18th overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft...
and Parker High School.
College career
Cousins first committed to Alabama-BirminghamUAB Blazers men's basketball
The UAB Blazers men's basketball team represents the University of Alabama at Birmingham in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I men's college basketball, and have competed in Conference USA since 1995...
on February 28, 2008 but never signed a letter of intent
National Letter of Intent
The National Letter of Intent is a document used to indicate a student athlete's commitment to participating NCAA colleges and universities in the United States. The NCAA Eligibility Center manages the daily operations of the NLI program while the Collegiate Commissioners Association provides...
because he wanted to be released if UAB's head coach, Mike Davis
Mike Davis (coach)
Mike Davis is an American college basketball coach. He is currently the head men's basketball coach at University of Alabama at Birmingham. He formerly held the same position at Indiana University.-Playing career:...
, left for another school. Cousins decomitted from UAB and committed to Memphis on March 9, 2009. He reopened his recruitment after then Memphis coach John Calipari
John Calipari
John Calipari is an American basketball coach. Since April 2009, he has been the men's head coach at the University of Kentucky....
was hired at Kentucky. On April 7, 2009, Cousins decided to follow John Calipari to Kentucky. He signed his Letter of Intent on April 15. At Kentucky, Cousins averaged 15.1 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game. Led by Cousins and John Wall
John Wall (basketball)
Johnathan Hildred Wall, Jr. is an American basketball player with the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association. Wall was chosen first overall in the 2010 NBA Draft by the Wizards...
, the Wildcats reached the Elite Eight
Elite Eight
The term Elite Eight, or less commonly called "Great Eight", refers to the final eight teams in the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship or the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship; and, thus, represents the national quarterfinals. In Division I, the Elite Eight consists of the...
of the 2010 NCAA Tournament
2010 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The first and second round games were played at the following sites:*March 18 / 20*March 25 / 27*March 26 / 28Each regional winner advanced to the Final Four, held on April 3 and 5 in Indianapolis, Indiana at Lucas Oil Stadium, hosted by the Horizon League and Butler University, as per the NCAA's...
.
2010–11 (Rookie season)
On April 7, 2010, Cousins announced that he would forgo his final three seasons of collegiate eligibility and enter the 2010 NBA Draft2010 NBA Draft
The 2010 NBA Draft was held on June 24, 2010 at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The draft, which started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time , was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur...
, where he was selected by the Sacramento Kings
Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
with the fifth overall pick. On July 7, 2010, Cousins signed his rookie contract with the Kings. The contract is worth about $7 million the first two years with a team option for the third and fourth years. Cousins was named the Rookie of the Month for July. Cousins was also named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team at the end of the 2010-2011 season.
Regular season
|-| align="left" | 2010–11
2010–11 NBA season
The 2010–11 NBA season was the 65th season of the National Basketball Association . The 2011 NBA All-Star Game was played on February 20, 2011 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat in six games, 4 games to 2, to win their first NBA title, and...
| align="left" | Sacramento
Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
| 81 || 62 || 28.5 || .430 || .167 || .687 || 8.6 || 2.5 || 1.0 || 0.8 || 14.1
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 81 || 62 || 28.5 || .430 || .167 || .687 || 8.6 || 2.5 || 1.0 || 0.8 || 14.1
High school
- 2009 McDonald's All-American2009 McDonald's All-American Boys GameThe 2009 McDonald's All-American Boys Game was an All-star basketball game played on Wednesday, April 1, 2009 at the BankUnited Center in Coral Gables, Florida, home of the University of Miami Hurricanes. The game's rosters featured the best and most highly-recruited high school boys graduating in...
team selection - 2009 Jordan Brand High School All-American team selection