Cousins hopes to shed 'Boogie' nickname: 'I just wanna be DeMarcus'
After 565 career outings, DeMarcus Cousins will finally make his postseason debut Saturday evening when his Golden State Warriors take on the visiting Los Angeles Clippers.
With the big moment coming into focus, the four-time All-Star says he's looking to leave a notable aspect of his persona in the past.
"I don’t want to be 'Boogie,'" Cousins said in a piece by The Undefeated's Lonnae O'Neal. "I just wanna be DeMarcus."
O'Neal's piece details the two prevailing stories behind Cousins' well-known nickname - the truth (that then-Kentucky assistant coach Rod Strickland described the big man's movements as having "boogie") and the myth (that Cousins had gotten into a physical altercation with his high school coach, earning the title "Boogie Man").
In any case, the nickname has at times become synonymous with Cousins' mercurial demeanor on the court.
Now, with stakes that are both heightened and lowered by virtue of playing a supporting role for the title-favorite Warriors, Cousins is striving to simplify things.
"It’s just like, Jesus Christ! It's so much extra put on with 'Boogie,'" he said.