Boogie inspires youth with profanity-laden message for haters

Boogie made it big time, and he wants kids to know they can, too.

Before he was one of the best players in the NBA, DeMarcus Cousins was a little boy with big dreams. He grew up in a rough neighborhood in Mobile, Ala., and was constantly told he wasn't going to make it, among other unsettling comments.

"I grew up in a rough area, went to an all-black school, public school," the Sacramento Kings superstar told David Aldridge of NBA.com. "I hear some of these messages, see the kids and the messages that they're always getting - you're going to be in jail, you're going to be dead, whatever the case may be."

Cousins defied those expectations, and wants youth who fall victim to the same negative remarks to do the same.

"I'm like, (bleep) them. Don't let them tell you how your life's going to be. I was one of those kids, telling me I ain't gonna be (bleep). (Bleep) you, you know?" the 26-year-old All-Star said.

"You make yourself be whatever the hell you want to be, at the end of the day. Nobody can tell you what your destiny is. ... To this day, there's people telling me what I can't do, or who I am as a person. (Bleep) you."

That brashness has gotten Cousins into some trouble, as he's racked up over $1 million in fines and numerous suspensions over his pro career.

Off the court, though, Boogie's been incredibly active in the community. He's hosted meetings between police and citizens in both his hometown and NBA city in an effort to reduce tension and improve relations.

He's given back in more fun ways as well, treating some kids to a shopping spree at the NBA Store and 150 other children to a screening of a new Disney film.