Sacramento Kings scrap Chinese New Year of the Monkey T-shirt giveaway for being racially insensitive

Player DeMarcus Cousins told the Kings operations team that the Lunar New Year shirts celebrating the Year of The Monkey were inappropriate

The Chinese Year of the Monkey begins on February 8 but the shirts were meant to be given away on February 1, the first day of Black History Month

The staff rushed to remove all the shirts before fans arrived at Sleep Train Arena

The Sacramento Kings basketball team had to cancel giving away Lunar New Year shirts celebrating the Year of the Monkey on Monday after a player noted the shirts could be deemed offensive during Black History month.

Bucks TV analyst Marques Johnson says he was called into a conversation player DeMarcus Cousins was having with the Kings operations team over the controversial shirt.

'I walk into the building and DeMarcus Cousins calls me over to an animated discussion he's having with Kings operations people. He [asks] me, "Olskool, what you think about this T-shirt? Told him a little insensitive on first day of Black History Month." They pulled the shirts,' said Johnson on his Facebook page.

The Chinese Year of the Monkey begins on February 8 but the shirts were meant to be given away on February 1, the first day of Black History Month. Players and coaches were already wearing shirts celebrating Black History Month on that day, according to ESPN.

The staff rushed to remove all the shirts before the fans arrived at Sleep Train Arena, according to Bleacher Report.

James Ham of CSN Bay Area tweeted a photo of the monkey shirt before they were pulled from the arena.

'We all need a lesson in sensitivity,' Kings president Chris Granger said, according to the Sacramento Bee.

'In an effort to celebrate Chinese New Year, we had some concerns about the T-shirt giveaway, so we pulled them all before the doors opened. Certainly we don't want to offend anybody, and we acted as soon as we heard the concern,' he added.

Johnson commended Cousins for pointing out the potential offense the shirts could have caused.

'Good move Kings. Year of Monkey Tees on 1st day of Black History Month not a good look. Thanks DeMarcus...,' Johnson tweeted along with a photos of the staff taking away the shirts.

Every team in the league still 'must commemorate the Chinese New Year in some fashion,' according to ESPN. The rest of the Chinese New Year celebration continued as scheduled.

Cousins did not play on Monday because he had a sprained ankle. The Kings won against the Milwaukee Bucks 111-104.


Read more: Sacramento Kings scrap Year of the Monkey T-shirt because of Black History Month | Daily Mail Online