A.J. Perez

USA TODAY Sports

Center DeMarcus Cousins and other Sacramento Kings players voiced concerns about the team’s promotional giveaway at Sleep Train Arena on Monday night: “Year of the Monkey” t-shirts to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

Monday also marked the first day of Black History Month.

“We all need a lesson in sensitivity,” Kings president Chris Granger told 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.”

Workers hurriedly removed the shirts placed atop seats minutes before the Kings faced the Milwaukee Bucks.

Milwaukee Bucks TV analyst Marques Johnson broke down a pregame discussion he had with Cousins, who missed the game with an ankle injury. The Kings won, 114-104, to snap a four-game skid.

“I walk into the building and DeMarcus Cousins calls me over to an animated discussion he's having with Kings operations people,” Johnson wrote on Facebook. “He (asks) me, "Olskool, what you think about this T Shirt? Told him a little insensitive on 1st day of Black History Month.”