DeMarcus Cousins Says He Won’t Resume NBA Career: ‘I Know I’ve Had My Time There’

Adam WellsFebruary 23, 2024

Gene Wang/Getty Images

DeMarcus Cousins isn’t retiring from professional basketball, but he’s closed the door on potentially returning to the NBA.

In an interview with Cyro Asseo de Choch of HoopsHype, Cousins explained why he’s comfortable with knowing his career in the NBA is over:

“I know I’ve had my time there. You know, there was a point where I was trying to make that happen. But the place I’m in my life now, just with everything I’ve got going on, just outside of basketball, like I’m in a good place. So, like I said, I’m excited for what I have ahead and my future.

“You know, my 12 years in the league were a small chapter or chapters in my life. And, I’m ready to move on to the next and see what’s in store for me.”

Even though Cousins doesn’t seem inclined to return to the league, he’s not that far removed from calling himself one of the best centers in the NBA.

On the KG CERTIFIED podcast with Kevin Garnett recorded in March 2023 (starts at 1:33 mark), Cousins said the only centers better than him were Nikola Jokić and Joel Embiid.

Soon after that episode dropped, Cousins signed with the Guaynabo Mets in Puerto Rico’s Baloncesto Superior Nacional. He finished out the season with the team, helping the Mets reach the semifinals in the playoffs.

Cousins signed a deal with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in December. He joined the club for four games in January, but there’s no indication at this point if he will return before the end of the regular season.

“It was really cool,” Cousins told Asseo de Choch about his stint in Taiwan. “So I enjoyed my time there. I look forward to spending more time there. And, you know, like I said, this game has taken me all over the world. I’m really blessed.”

Cousins last played in the NBA during the 2021-22 season. He started that season with the Milwaukee Bucks before getting waived. The Denver Nuggets signed the four-time All-Star to a 10-day contract in January 2022, reuniting him with Michael Malone.

He appeared in 36 games for the Nuggets between the regular season and playoffs.

The 33-year-old played 12 seasons in the NBA with seven different teams from 2010-11 to 2021-22. He was named to the All-Star team in four consecutive years from 2014-15 to 2017-18.