A week after DeMarcus Cousins confronted Sacramento Bee sports columnist Andy Furillo in the team's locker room at Golden 1 Center, the Kings on Tuesday disciplined the All-Star center with a "substantial fine," the team announced in a prepared statement.
A source who is knowledgeable about the fine but not authorized to speak publicly told The Bee it was $50,000.
"The Kings have a clear set of standards of conduct expected of our entire organization. As a result of negative interactions with certain members of the media that were not corrected after verbal warnings, we have decided to impose a substantial fine. If this behavior is repeated again we will be forced to consider further discipline."
Cousins has not been suspended and is expected to start in Tuesday night's game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Golden 1 Center.
The fine comes after Cousins' latest incident with members of the local media.
Following the Kings' 116-92 victory over the visiting Los Angeles Lakers, Cousins approached Furillo in the team's locker room in a hostile manner while yelling profanities and pointing a finger toward the columnist's face. The incident came after Furillo wrote a column about the player's involvement in an alleged assault by teammate Matt Barnes in a New York City nightclub earlier this month. Both players were named in a civil suit filed in New York by a couple alleging the Kings teammates assaulted them.
Cousins took exception to the column mentioning an incident last May in which his younger brother, Jaleel, a Development League player, was arrested in a Tampa, Fla., bar.
The Bee released a video of the locker-room outburst on Friday.
This is not the first time Cousins has been fined by the team.
His previous fine levied by the Kings came early last season after Cousins had a profanity-laced tirade directed toward former coach George Karl in the team's locker room at Sleep Train Arena following a loss to the San Antonio Spurs.
Cousins has also been fined numerous times by the NBA, the latest costing the two-time All-Star $25,000 after throwing his mouthpiece into the stands at Golden 1 Center during a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves in October.
