DeMarcus Cousins on Charles Barkley: 'I don't care what he thinks'
Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins said on Saturday that he doesn't respect Charles Barkley and doesn't care what he thinks.
"It ain't personal," Cousins said when asked about Barkley, according to ESPN.com. "I mean, I don't really respect the guy, but at the same time, I don't really care what he thinks either.
"I don't respect him and I don't care what he thinks."
Cousins' comments come less than two days after Barkley, a TNT commentator and former NBA star, spoke critically about the idea that Cousins had influence over the Kings' coaching changes.
Earlier this month a report surfaced questioning how hiring George Karl would affect Cousins, who who was believed to favor former coach Mike Malone.
Tyrone Corbin had been serving as Sacramento's interim coach since they fired Malone in December. The Kings later decided to remove the interim tag from Corbin's title.
Before the Karl hiring was announced, Cousins released a statement to Yahoo Sports saying he "wasn't consulted when the decision was made to fire Mike Malone and I'm not being consulted now."
In the statement, Cousins also said that he hopes the Kings "make a decision soon and stick with it. George Karl is an experienced, proven coach and if that is who they chose to coach this team, I will support it.
Barkley apparently took issue with the notion that Cousins had any control over who coaches the Kings.
“Let me just say this either way, that’s bull----,” Barkley said.
"Yeah, I am totally disgusted with that. I almost went over the line. He ain’t done enough to deserve that type of power. They stink. Why would you give a guy that young that type of power?"
This is not the first time Cousins has spoken out about Barkley.
In November, Cousins was quoted in a Bleacher Report article as saying "I have no respect for you and I never will" in reference to Barkley.
Over 40 games this season, Cousins has averaged 23.8 points and 12.5 rebounds. He earned his first All-Star appearance as an injury replacement.
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