Sacramento Kings cancel "Year of the Monkey" shirt giveaway after player complaint

Someone was clearly not paying attention to the unintended implications of this promotion.



This week, the Sacramento Kings scrapped a commemorative Lunar New Year t-shirt giveaway celebrating the Year of the Monkey after a player noted the shirts could be deemed offensive during Black History Month.

Sacramento Kings Pull 'Year of the Monkey' Shirts From Seats

Player DeMarcus Cousins took issue with the shirt design, which depicted a monkey in Kings colors. The shirts were supposed to be given out to fans on Monday night during Sacramento's game against the Milwaukee Bucks, but were pulled at the last minute after Cousins raised the issue with team management.

Welcome to the NBA, Sim Bhullar.

7-foot-5 center is the league's first player of Indian descent.



In case you missed the news last week, the NBA made it official. Sim Bhullar signed a 10-day contract with the Sacramento Kings on Thursday, making him the first NBA player of Indian descent. At 7-foot-5 and 360 pounds, the 22-year-old center from Toronto is also the league's biggest player.

Kings' Sim Bhullar embracing place in NBA history

Bhullar has spent the entire season with the Reno Bighorns, Sacramento's affiliate in the NBA Development League, after going to training camp with the Kings. He's been working his ass off, getting into shape, and has lost over 30 pounds. He's averaging 10.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.8 blocks.

Here's a video following Bhullar's first three days in the NBA as he signs his first contract, goes through a personal workout in the Sacramento Kings practice facility and experiences his very first NBA gameday:

Sim Bhullar is the first NBA player of Indian descent

7-foot-5, 360-pound center signs contract with Sacramento Kings



Prepare yourself for SIMSANITY.

On Wednesday, the Sacramento Kings announced that they've signed 7-foot-5, 360-pound center Sim Bhullar to a contract. That makes him not only the NBA's tallest player, he is the league's first player of Indian descent.

Meet Sim Bhullar, the Kings' 7-foot-5 center project and the NBA's first player of Indian descent

Bhullar, who hails from Canada, turned heads -- he's kind of hard to miss -- while playing two seasons for New Mexico State, where he averaged 10.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.9 blocks. He went undrafted, but was invited to play with the Kings last month in the NBA's summer league tournament.

Sim tweeted about his NBA contract, exclaiming "Dreams do come true!"

Sim Bhullar signs with the Sacramento Kings

At 7'5" and 360 pounds, he would be the NBA's biggest player -- and the first of Indian descent



Who's the biggest guy in basketball? New Mexico State University center Sim Bhullar wasn't selected in the 2014 NBA Draft, but he has signed a contract with the Sacramento Kings. Should he make the team's roster, at 7-foot-5 and 360 pounds, he would be the biggest player in the NBA, and the first player ever of Indian descent.

Sim Bhullar Signed by Kings: Latest News, Reaction and Analysis

Bhullar, who became infamous in college basketball circles because of his enormous size, left after his sophomore season at New Mexico State to enter the NBA Draft. He wasn't selected -- honestly, it was a bit of a longshot -- but the 21-year-old center was invited to play for Sacramento in the Summer League and reportedly signed with the Kings on Friday: