DeMarcus Cousins Suspended and Loses Contract After Brawling with Fans in Puerto Rico League

Published: June 12, 2025

Former NBA player DeMarcus Cousins has been suspended from a basketball league in Puerto Rico and had his contract terminated after getting into a tense altercation with several fans during an away game on Monday night.

Cousins, 34, was seen arguing and eventually grabbing a fan who had mocked him from the front row before he's led away by security. The incident occurred during a game between his Mets de Guaynabo and the Bayamón Cowboys.

The Mets de Guaynabo announced they were terminating the former NBA star's contract, citing that "safety, respect, and sportsmanship are non-negotiable values for this franchise."

The National Superior Basketball Association in Puerto Rico also announced Cousins would be suspended from the league for the remainder of the 2025 season and fined $4,250 for "acts that incite violence or provocation" during the game.

The league stated that "in addition, the player must show cause why he should not be fined an additional $5,750, given the severity of the incident."

The fans involved in the incident have also been suspended for the remainder of the season, including one who "made inappropriate and inciting gestures" and others who "threw liquids and other objects" at Cousins as he was being led off the court.

A video shared on social media, Cousins can be seen arguing with a fan sitting courtside, who appeared to be making gestures towards the basketball player mimicking someone crying and wiping away their tears with their fists. Cousins then appears to approach the fan, grab his genitals, and shake them in the fan's face before grabbing at the fan's arm.

Several of Cousins' teammates then run over and get between Cousins and the fan, appearing to try and calm the situation down. Some nearby fans continue to yell at Cousins while others get up and move away from the tense situation.

In another video, Cousins is seen being led off the court when he gets into an argument with another fan yelling at him from above the player's entrance tunnel. Cousins appears to grab at the fan, who then splashes a drink towards Cousins. Suddenly, a barrage of drinks and garbage begin to be thrown at Cousins as he appears to be forcibly removed from the court down the tunnel.

The league stated that "fan access to and presence on the court area is not a right, and such presence is a privilege that may be revoked at any time."

Following the incident, the league ordered the Bayamon Cowboys organization to "maintain permanent security in the hallway where the incident occurred and in the court area for the remainder of the season."

DeMarcus Cousins playing with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in 2024.

Cousins was in the middle of his second season with the Mets after joining the Puerto Rico league following 17 seasons in the NBA, and a brief stint in Taiwan.

The Mobile, Ala., native averaged nearly 20 points and more than 10 rebounds a game over the course of his NBA career with several teams. He spent more than half his career with the Sacramento Kings and the New Orleans Pelicans, before becoming an NBA journeyman with stints in Los Angeles, Golden State, Denver, Houston, and Milwaukee.

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