Former Kings Star DeMarcus Cousins Reportedly Offers To Pay For Stephon Clark's Funeral

(CBSSports.com) -- When DeMarcus Cousins was traded away from the Kings to the Pelicans at the end of last year's All-Star break, he said he would "always consider [Sacramento] home." After the police shooting of 22-year-old Stephon Clark on Sunday, Cousins is putting his money where his mouth is. According to Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee, Cousins has reached out to Clark's family to cover funeral expenses.

It isn't the first time that Cousins has offered to cover for the death of someone in the community that died young. After Jaulen Clavo -- the quarterback of Grant High School in Sacramento -- was shot in 2015, Cousins paid for his funeral as well.

This comes the day after protesters crowded in front of the Golden 1 Center, delaying the Kings' game against the Hawks by 20 minutes before ultimately forcing the game to be played in front of a mere 2,000 people. Kings owner Vivek Ranadive acknowledged the protest after the game, saying that the team "recognize[s]" and "respect[s]" the "people's ability to protest peacefully."

Cousins has long been involved in affairs off the court. He was given the NBA's first Offseason NBA Cares Community Assist Award for his charitable endeavors in Sacramento; New Orleans; Mobile, Alabama (his hometown) and South Africa last October.

Cousins is out for the season with the Pelicans with a torn Achilles. He was named to the All-Star team for the West alongside Anthony Davis before suffering the injury in late January.