DeMarcus Cousins shared a surprising detail about the 2018–19 Golden State Warriors, revealing that the star-studded team often delayed their warmups until just six minutes before tip-off.
Speaking on the “Run Your Race” podcast hosted by former NBA player Theo Pinson, Cousins recalled how the team developed a habit of showing up to the court unusually late for pregame routines.
“Man, it was so bad, bro,” Cousins said, via Basketball Network, describing how players would sometimes wait until the game clock showed just six minutes before heading out to warm up.
According to Pinson, most NBA teams typically hit the floor for warmups with 20 minutes remaining on the countdown clock. Fifteen minutes is considered the bare minimum. But Cousins said the Warriors routinely pushed that limit.
“Steve used to be like, ‘Man, y’all are being disrespectful,'” Cousins recalled, referring to Warriors head coach Steve Kerr. “There were times we were going out there with like six minutes on the clock.”
Cousins added that Kerr wasn’t particularly upset about the team’s timing because he trusted their ability to perform. Still, the optics became hard to ignore.
“It was just the look of it,” Cousins explained. “It’s just like, this s—t getting a little disrespectful.”
Even Stephen Curry reportedly stepped in at times to ask his teammates to show more professionalism.
“Steph like, ‘Guys, come on, man.’ Like, it was crazy. It’s insane, bro,” Cousins said.
The 2018–19 Warriors were in the middle of their dynasty run and boasted a roster featuring Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green.
Golden State reached the NBA Finals that season but fell short against the Toronto Raptors. Cousins, who had joined the team on a one-year deal after recovering from an Achilles injury, played a limited but notable role during the playoff run.
