Arkansas Razorbacks coach John Calipari has produced several players who have gone on to have successful NBA careers. A lot of this can be attributed to his program back when he was with the Kentucky Wildcats. From guards like Devin Booker and Jamal Murray to big men like Karl Anthony-Towns, Calipari is highly regarded when it comes to developing players for the league.
This illustrious list also includes four-time NBA All-Star DeMarcus Cousins, whom Calipari recently revealed as his wife’s favorite player from the Wildcats. In a recent episode of the Run It Back podcast, which Cousins co-hosts, Calipari shared a story about his wife telling him to stop yelling at Cousins since he is her favorite. Cousins and company then laughed at what Calipari reminisced on.
“I’m gonna make a statement. I probably said this about DeMarcus when he went in the league. I said, ‘He’ll be 20 and 10.’ Did I say that? I think I did. But, just let me be fair. DeMarcus was my wife’s favorite. I had no idea, and he knows this. She would say to me, ‘Quit yelling at DeMarcus.’ [Cousins: ‘And, she was right.’] And then, he would come back and say, ‘Miss Cal, keep telling him that. He yells at me all the time. Yell at somebody else,'” Calipari shared. (0:00)
Cousins played just one year under the tutelage of Calipari and his Kentucky-based program in the 2009-10 season. The now-35-year-old shined averaging 15.1 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per contest. Alongside fellow former NBA All-Star John Wall, Cousins helped the Wildcats reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament in that campaign.
Similar to DeMarcus Cousins, John Calipari also has huge expectations for Darius Acuff Jr. in the NBA
After John Calipari talked about DeMarcus Cousins on the Run It Back podcast, the conversation shifted to Darius Acuff Jr., Calipari’s recent guard, who was a lottery pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Acuff was selected by the Sacramento Kings with the seventh overall selection in the first round. Just like with Cousins, Calipari expects Acuff to be a 20 and 10 player, but with assists as opposed to Cousins on the boards.
“ I think he could be a 20 and 10, and the reason…The 20 won’t be an issue. The reason I’m saying 10 is because he can really pass and create for teammates. He’s just gotta lock into that too,” Calipari detailed. (0:36)
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