During Kings Media Day, reporters were caught on a live microphone talking about Ben Simmons and Zach LaVine. Instead of breaking down their games, the conversation turned personal, with comments about the players’ looks and personalities. The clip went viral on social media, and now DeMarcus Cousins weighed in.
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The former Kings star used the controversy to revisit his own experience with Sacramento’s media. His story goes back more than a decade, to his first season in the NBA. And according to Cousins, some of that attention crossed a line.
Speaking on Gil’s Arena, Cousins accused Sacramento’s media of being biased and unprofessional. He also claimed that some questionable behavior was easier to brush aside because Sacramento is a smaller media market. His most serious allegation involved former Sacramento Bee reporter Ailene Voisin.
“I’ve had my own, you know, personal experience as far as dealing with the, you know, sac media and feeling violated at the same time,” Cousins said. “Lady by the name of Ailene Voisin, she was a big reporter when I played there at the time, in my rookie season. She just had this infatuation about my body, even before I step foot in Sacramento. She only reported about my body, she compared me to Oliver Miller and all these you know, overweight type players.
“It was one specific day where, you know, she decided to walk up to me and lift my shirt up because she wanted to see what my body looked like underneath my shirt. Then she went on to write an article about it, so I remember in that moment just kind of feeling like uneasy about it. I was 19, 20 at the time so I didn’t necessarily know how to handle it. Or even I’m thinking like, well ‘S—, maybe this is normal s— for the NBA’. I remember speaking about it to the front office at the time and you know, I got the same answer I got a lot of times as far as dealing with sh*t in Sac: ignore it.”
Cousins said he eventually brought the situation to the Kings’ front office. He claims the advice he received was to ignore it. The four-time All-Star believes the current hot-mic controversy raises a broader issue about accountability.
Before speaking about it on Gil’s Arena, DeMarcus Cousins addressed the incident on X. A fan mentioned Voison’s articles, and Boogie replied, “Sick times smh.” His Sacramento media history adds more context.
DeMarcus Cousins spent more than six seasons in Sacramento after the Kings selected him fifth overall in the 2010 NBA Draft. From the beginning, he became one of the franchise’s biggest stars and also one of its most heavily scrutinized players. His relationship with the local media was often tense.
Voisin was among the reporters who covered Cousins extensively. Her work frequently examined his conditioning, weight and physique. In a 2015 column titled “Time for DeMarcus Cousins, Kings to shape up,” she discussed the team’s concern with his weight and body-fat percentage. And even connected his conditioning to areas such as explosiveness, injuries and transition defense.
Now, Cousins stated that the focus on his body became excessive, particularly considering how young he was when he entered the league. That history makes his comments about the latest hot-mic incident more personal. He also said he was glad the recent controversy had brought more attention to the issue.
And that’s why DeMarcus Cousins even had a message for the Kings front office. “Hopefully the people at top handle it professionally.”
The former Kings star’s story about his meeting with Voisin is an allegation. Reporters often wrote about Cousins’ conditioning and physique, but they didn’t describe the specific encounter he mentioned.