Golden State Warriors center DeMarcus Cousins recently spoke with The Undefeated's Lonnae O'Neal for an in-depth discussion ahead of his first post-season run with the Warriors. In the piece, Cousins described how he's not really thinking about his summer of free agency and how he is focused on "being the best me every day.”
O'Neal also explains how the 28-year old All Star no longer wants to be "Boogie."
And there’s something else he’s letting go of. Something that, at times, has weighed him down and blown him out of proportion. “It’s just like, Jesus Christ! It’s so much extra put on with ‘Boogie,’ ” Cousins says.
He’s had time to face himself in the past year, and he’s come to terms with the things that scare him. “I don’t want to be Boogie,” Cousins says. “I just wanna be DeMarcus.”
Cousins earned the "Boogie" nickname from Kentucky assistant coach Rod Strickland during his freshman season with the Wildcats in 2009-2010 and it has stuck ever since.
In his first season with Golden State, Cousins appeared in 30 games, averaging 16.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.5 blocks in roughly 26 minutes of action per night. He'll be free to sign with a team of his choosing this summer, but for now the goal is to win a ring with the Warriors.
Golden State will host the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 1 of their first round series on Saturday at 8:00pm ET, airing on ABC. Check out the full viewing schedule for the first round of the NBA Playoffs here.