Hours after two police officers were not charged for their involvement in the fatal shooting of Sacramento native Stephon Clark, DeMarcus Cousins paid tribute to Clark on his shoes in the Warriors' Saturday game against the Philadelphia 76ers.
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Clark, 22, was shot in his grandmother's backyard on March 18, 2018. He was unarmed and carrying a cell phone, but the officers believed he had a gun.
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Clark's death and the release of the officers' bodycam footage set off widespread protests in Sacramento days later. Those protests blocked the entrance to two Kings games at Golden 1 Center last spring.
Cousins spent the first six-and-a-half years of his NBA career in Sacramento, before he was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans two years ago. Now playing down the road in Oakland, Cousins maintains strong ties to his first NBA home.
He reportedly offered to, and ultimately did, pay for Clark's funeral services last year. Cousins also paid for the funeral of Sacramento-area high-school football player Jaulon "JJ" Clavo, who was shot in 2015, and honored him by inscribing "RIP JJ" on his shoes in a game.
Cousins no longer lives in Sacramento, but his heart is heavy, like many in his one-time home.