New Orleans Pelicans All-Star DeMarcus Cousins has been fined $50,000 by the NBA for two instances of inappropriate language directed toward fans.
The separate incidents occurred on Sunday and Monday, during the Pelicans' road back-to-back against the Los Angeles Lakers and the Utah Jazz, respectively.
Cousins was not available for comment Friday after the team's practice, but Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said he spoke with Cousins before the fine was announced Thursday.
"They fined him, he's accepted it and you just move on," Gentry said.
A video shot by a fan surfaced Tuesday, the day after an 88-83 loss to the Jazz, in which Cousins responded to a heckler's taunts.
Pelicans star Anthony Davis said he hadn't heard about Cousins' fine when addressing the media Friday but said he has been struck by the booing and fan reaction to Cousins in Utah and other road arenas.
"The thing is, DeMarcus is not like that, man," Davis said. "People are human. At the end of the day, we're human beings. After a while, it gets old and you want to say something back. It's unfortunate that we can't. I don't know what he said or what the fan said, or whatever, but I'm pretty sure he had a reason."
Cousins, 26, was suspended without pay for one game last week after receiving his 18th technical foul. The league issues an automatic suspension after every second technical once a player reaches 16 on the season.
The five-time All-Star is averaging 22.1 points, 13.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists in seven appearances for the Pelicans since being traded from the Sacramento Kings during the All-Star break.
