Overshadowing an exciting Game 5 of the NBA Finals Monday night was Kevin Durant’s second postseason injury and some Toronto fans cheering as the Warriors superstar was helped off the court with a possible Achilles tear.
Durant’s teammate, DeMarcus Cousins who suffered a year-long Achilles injury last season, ripped the fans for questioning KD’s commitment to the team while sitting out the first four games of the Finals, then cheering when he re-injured himself Monday night.
“F**k them. F**k em,” Cousins said after Game 5.
“Trash. So trash,” Cousins added. “But like I said, all they idolize is superstar athletes. Not human beings. It’s always about what we can do between those lines. That’s it. That’s all that ever matters. And then once we lash out and do human-type things, then we’re considered bad guys.”
This reaction didn’t sit well with Sacramento Kings play-by-play announcer and co-host of KHTK Sports 1140’s afternoon show, Grant Napear who covered Cousins during his near seven-year tenure playing with the Kings. More than a defense of the way fans treated Durant Monday night and throughout the NBA Finals, Napear’s rant was an attack on the way Cousins handled his time in Sacramento.
“If there is any player in the NBA that should not be talking about fan behavior, and about how they treat athletes as opposed to people, it’s DeMarcus Cousins,” Napear said during his KHTK radio show on Tuesday afternoon. “This guy is the rudest, crudest, most vile player that I have ever been around in my 31 years of covering the NBA. He should not be speaking on this in any way shape or form,” added Napear during his no holds barred rant.
“I’ve seen him curse at women,” Napear continued. “I’ve seen him curse out people at the airports. I’ve seen him curse in front of ladies that have nothing to do with the sport he’s playing. For him to be talking about the fans, shame on him. Shut the hell up, and for once, act like a freaking professional. You got run out of Sacramento, you got run out of New Orleans, and I’m telling you right now, you’re getting run out of Golden State because they’re tired of your act.”
Napear’s full verbal barrage of the former Sacramento Kings center can be heard in the clip below.
The Grant Napear Show with Doug Christie on KHTK Sports 1140 in Sacramento can be heard weekdays from 3 – 7pm PT.
Brandon Contes is a freelance writer for BSM. He can be found on Twitter @BrandonContes. To reach him by email click here.