Four-time NBA All-Star to play in Puerto Rican professional league: report

DeMarcus Cousins will attempt to find his way back to the NBA by way of Puerto Rico. 

The four-time All-Star will sign with the Guaynabo Mets of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional, the Puerto Rican professional basketball league, according to ESPN. 

Cousins has not played in the NBA since the 2021-22 season when he appeared in 48 games with the Denver Nuggets and Milwaukee Bucks.

Cousins’ career has been interesting, being selected as an All-Star in four straight seasons from 2015-2018 with the Sacramento Kings and the New Orleans Pelicans. 

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In 11 seasons, Cousins averaged 19.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 3 assists per game.  

But injuries quickly derailed his career. He missed the entire 2019-2020 season due to an ACL tear. 

He also has a history of problematic behavior, with Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers saying teams are worried about how he’ll act if they sign him. 

“DeMarcus called me a month ago, and he said, ‘Why am I not in the NBA?’” Myers said on the “All The Smoke” podcast in November. “And I said, ‘You want that answer? Because people are afraid of how you’re going to act.’ And he’s like ‘Why?’ And I said, ‘Well, whatever the reason is, it’s here now.’

“And I like DeMarcus. You guys may know him. He’s just, I can’t blame him for him because of all he’s been through.”

Cousins is the second star player to sign with a league outside the NBA in the past few months, as three-time Defensive Player of the Year winner Dwight Howard signed to play in Taiwan’s top basketball league after 18 NBA seasons.