Former Sacramento Kings center, DeMarcus Cousins, has been waiting for another shot at playing in the NBA for awhile now. However, it appears as if the center is ready to admit his playing days in the league are numbered. Rather begrudgingly, Cousins had this to say:
“I’m not going to go out trying to convince these guys anymore,” DeMarcus Cousins said. “You know what I bring to the floor. It’s been proven. If you really wanted to know who I am, you’d take the time to get to know me instead of listening to somebody else. I’m past trying to reach out. If an opportunity comes that makes sense, I’ll consider it, but I’m done with the convincing.”
The former four-time All-Star also talked about his time at Kentucky and his relationship with coach, John Calipari, and his transparency.
“Cal told me, ‘If you want to take care of my family, you can stay. If you want to take care of yours, you’re out of here.’ That’s real. And it took a coach like him to understand both sides,” Cousins said about Calipari. “We’ve all heard the horror stories of coaches holding guys back, and they miss their shot. Cal understood it was bigger than basketball—it was about life.”
Cousins last played in the NBA during the 2022 season as a backup center for the Denver Nuggets. Since then, he has spent time overseas.
DeMarcus Cousins No Longer Trying to Convince NBA Teams He Can Still Play
DeMarcus Cousins’ Up-and-Down Career
There was once a time where DeMarcus Cousins was the most dominant center in the NBA. Unfortunately for him, he was playing for the Sacramento Kings at the time. A time when they were the laughingstock of the league. While Cousins was a force to be reckoned with in his prime, he was not without fault. Often times, his temper would get the best of him which led to multiple technical fouls and ejections throughout his career. Still, this should not detract from a long 14-year career. A career that saw Cousins earn four All-Star appearances, two All-NBA Team selections, and a career points per game average of 19.6. Despite his shortcomings, DeMarcus Cousins will still go down as one of the best centers of the 2010’s.
His Hall of Fame Chances
It is difficult to gauge DeMarcus Cousins’ Hall of Fame chances. On one hand, we have seen players with a lot less accolades that have made it into the Basketball Hall of Fame. On another hand, Cousins is a player some would argue that did not take advantage of his full potential. However, this is not the Pro Football Hall of Fame or Baseball Hall of Fame, two entities that are extremely difficult to be enshrined in, we are talking about. Given the amount of basketball players who were nowhere near as impactful as DeMarcus Cousins in the Basketball Hall of Fame, it is safe to say the former big man will eventually be in the hall one day.
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