A New Chapter for DeMarcus Cousins
The last time NBA great DeMarcus Cousins stepped on the court as a professional player, he was showered in beers by angry fans during a wild clash in Puerto Rico after he had been ejected. Cousins was sanctioned with a lengthy ban and had his contract torn up. It was an explosive way for a career to finish but to many it was also fitting—just another inexplicable moment in a back catalogue full of them.
Yet Cousins doesn’t dwell on that moment or others that have tarnished his career and thinks of it as a “regret”. He moves on quickly, although it still might be a surprise to some that he’s transitioned into a role that takes him around the world promoting the sport that made him a superstar but also tortured him.
The 35-year-old was one of the most popular—and controversial—players of his era. He became a villain in some people’s eyes and a cult hero in others. His career was also thrown off course by injuries that hampered his prime years.
Drafted with the fifth overall pick in the 2010 draft by the Sacramento Kings, the skilful big man became a dominant force in basketball’s toughest competition.
Cousins joined the New Orleans Pelicans at the peak of his powers in 2018, but disaster struck when he ruptured his Achilles and tore his ACL in back-to-back years.
From there, the man affectionately known as “Boogie” became a journeyman, having a brief stint on the star-studded Golden State Warriors team alongside Steph Curry and Kevin Durant, before spending time with the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers, Milwaukee Bucks and Denver Nuggets until his NBA exit in 2022.
Speaking to select Australian media ahead of this week’s NBA House event in Melbourne, the four-time All-Star covered a wide array of topics from the highs and lows of his career, his hopes for Josh Giddey and Dyson Daniels to become genuine superstars and giving back to the game in unique ways.
‘No Regrets’ for Boogie
In a career that spanned more than a decade in the NBA—something very few players can say—Cousins achieved plenty on both an individual and team level.
But one moment stands above all else for the 208cm centre.
“I would say my proudest moment was being able to represent my country and win a gold medal—not many people can say they’ve represented their country and on top of that, won the ultimate prize,” Cousins said of the 2016 Rio triumph with Team USA.
“I won a World Cup and also won an Olympics, so those are really proud moments.”
On the flip-side, Cousins had plenty of unsavoury moments during his NBA career. An aggressive player who tiptoed on and sometimes over the line, Cousins was ejected on countless occasions and copped multiple suspensions.
His last act on a professional basketball court came while playing for the Guaynabo Mets in Puerto Rico last year, where he got into a heated altercation with fans who poured beer on him, resulting in a lengthy ban and his contract being torn up.
But through every “bad situation” that happened in his career, Cousins chose to take them as an opportunity to better himself—both as a player and person.
“I’m not really the type of person that deals with a lot of regret,” he said.
“I don’t look at bad situations or so-called losses as a loss, I look at them as lessons.
“You don’t really learn from wins, you learn from losses, so for me any bad situation or any adversity that didn’t go my way, it just made me a better person.
“Like I said, I don’t live with a lot of regret and I appreciate every good and bad moment I’ve ever been through.”
Why He Turned Down an NBL Move
When he departed the NBA four years ago, Cousins had no shortage of options for his next move—and a potential move to Australia was one of them.
He confirmed that NBL teams made offers, but Cousins declined due to his personal situation.
“There were some opportunities,” he said.
“I’ve had some opportunities in the past, but once I left the NBA, I hit a certain point in my personal life so a lot of time when it came to me picking where I played, it was more about my own personal convenience, length of schedule and things of that nature.
“A lot of opportunities I did turn down, just because it wasn’t suited for my personal life.
“I had Euro league offers, I had offers from China and Australia as well—I pretty much had an offer from anywhere that has basketball there.
“At the same time, I’m a huge fan of the league. I watch from afar, it’s a very entertaining league and it’s almost like a good soap opera on top of good basketball.”
Cousins won a T1 League title with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in 2024 and was voted the finals MVP in that campaign. He also spent time in Mongolia and Puerto Rico.
His Venture Down Under
With his playing career all-but over, Cousins is using his massive platform and global fanbase to help grow the NBA in parts of the world he never expected.
“I believe we were in Hong Kong and a random person walks by and was like ‘DeMarcus, what are you doing here?’ and it just put things in perspective for me,” he said.
“I’m known throughout the world in places I didn’t even think I would be… it just goes to show how far this game spreads throughout the world.
“I’ve had the pleasure of touching different places throughout the world and literally everywhere I’ve been, I’ve either gained a fanbase or had a fanbase waiting for me.
“It’s really incredible to see and I’m blessed to even be in this position.”
After spending time in India recently, Cousins is the headline act at this week’s NBA House in Melbourne—an interactive, four-day extravaganza to celebrate the playoffs.
The event will run from Thursday to Sunday, with tickets available via Ticketmaster.
Cousins believes that spreading his knowledge and rubbing shoulders with Aussies—whether hardcore hoops fans or casual sports enjoyers—will only help the sport.
“I love spreading knowledge, I love sharing the game and sharing my experiences… I’m just glad to be a part of this,” Cousins said.
“I think events like this are only gonna continue to grow the fanbase, the sport and everything else pertaining to it, so that’s always gonna be a plus.
“I’ve had the luxury of being teammates with some of the legends from Australia like Andrew Bogut and I also had the luxury of being teammates with a guy Bryce Cotton, who is considered the GOAT over there [in the NBL] in my eyes.
“I’ve watched the league from afar and as far as the drama y’all like to stir up over there, it’s pretty entertaining and just bringing new eyes to it.
“Being in the NBA to start off, it kind of created a closed mind for me as far as the talent in the world. The NBA has the most elite talent, but that’s a small pool of 300-400 guys.
“Outside of that, there’s so much talent—some that’s known to us and some that’s undiscovered—so it helped grow my appreciation for the game.
“I see how much the game is played and loved worldwide and it just opened my eyes to see how many people can really play this game at a high level.”
High Praise for Aussie Stars
When it comes to Aussie basketball, Cousins hasn’t just been keeping his eye on the NBL either—he’s also a massive fan of two of the country’s best exports.
Josh Giddey and Dyson Daniels have set the NBA alight in recent years and Cousins believes both players have massive futures ahead of them.
“They have a chance of being really special in the league,” he said.
“Josh Giddey being a triple-double threat every single night and Daniels being the defensive menace that he is and at the same time, his offence is starting to come along.
“They are two guys with really bright futures and full of potential.”
Giddey started his career with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2021 after being selected with the sixth overall draft pick, before taking his talents to the Chicago Bulls.
While the iconic franchise isn’t the same as it used to be when Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman were making the NBA a global phenomenon in the 1990s, Cousins feels that Giddey will learn from his current situation and it could make him a better player in the long run.
“Giddey isn’t in the most winning situation, he left from a great organisation at OKC with winning ways and now he’s kind of experiencing the other side of the league and that’s gonna shape him into a really good pro,” he said.
“I think his situation can turn out to be really special.”
Daniels is with the Atlanta Hawks, who made the playoffs this season before being eliminated in the first round by the New York Knicks.
Cousins sees plenty of upside in the man known as “The Great Barrier Thief” for his incredible ability to steal the ball from opposition players.
“He’s in a good situation where he’s just finished up a playoff run and he has so much potential and so much growth in his game,” he said.
“The fact that he still has such a ways to go—you can just imagine the type of player that he can turn into in this league.”
- The 2026/27 NBL season will be broadcast on Nine and 9Now after a new broadcast deal was announced last month.
