Former four-time All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins, who was briefly a Los Angeles Laker, is continuing his career with a unique center.
According to Official Account X of FIBA 3×3 BasketballThe 6-foot-10 big man joins a 3×3 club, World Tour team Wuxi WenLv, until the end of this year’s 3×3 season.
The Kentucky product signed a one-year deal with Los Angeles in 2019, but a torn left ACL cut his season short before it could begin. Ultimately, team president Rob Pelinka had to waive Cousins to make room for Markieff Morris. After beating the Miami Heat in a six-game NBA Finals, LA went on to win its (at the time) record 17th league title. But the Lakers still gave Cousins a ring, even though he was no longer with the team.
Cousins was drafted 10th overall by the Sacramento Kings and made an immediate impact, at least in terms of individual awards. Cousins, who was easily the Kings’ best player during his six and a half seasons in Sacramento, never made a playoff team with the Kings. So it was merciful of Cousins to be traded to the New Orleans Pelicans midway through the 2015-16 season, where he initially played alongside future Los Angeles Lakers center Anthony Davis (Davis was more of a power forward at the time, especially next to C.) Health issues kept Cousins out of the 2016-17 playoffs, when the Pelicans advanced to the second round for the first (and final) time in the Davis era.
Cousins injured his left Achilles tendon in New Orleans’ 115-113 victory. Season-ending surgery in January 2018 also ended the free agent’s tenure with the Pelicans.
At that point, when healthy, Cousins was a deadly two-way force. He could run the court, shoot from anywhere and hit opponents in the paint. He was one of the best pivots in the league at the start of what has become a gradual league-wide renaissance for the position.
Unfortunately, Cousins was never consistently healthy, and when he was, he struggled to reach those scoring peaks.
He recovered from his Achilles tendon injury, one of the most devastating injuries in all of basketball, only to tear his left quadriceps in the first round of the 2019 playoffs while playing with his next team, the Golden State Warriors. After the Lakers and the aforementioned torn ACL ruined his 2019-20 run,
Cousins has played for the Houston Rockets, LA Clippers, Milwaukee Bucks, and Denver Nuggets. Although he worked out for the Lakers in the middle of the 2022-23 season, he ultimately did not get another opportunity in the NBA. Since then, the 34-year-old has played for the Houston Rockets, LA Clippers, Milwaukee Bucks, and Denver Nuggets. Although he worked out for the Lakers in the middle of the 2022-23 season, he ultimately did not get another opportunity in the NBA. Since then, the 34-year-old has played for international programs in Puerto Rico and Taiwan.
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