DeMarcus Cousins Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

Ex-NBA All-Star returning to play in Taiwan

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Larry Brown | Last updated 3/19/24

Former NBA All-Star DeMarcus Cousins is returning to professional basketball, but not in the U.S.

Cousins has signed a month-and-a-half deal to play in Taiwan with the Beer Leopards, Marc Stein reported on Tuesday.

Four-time NBA All-Star DeMarcus Cousins has signed a month-and-a-half deal to return to play in Taiwan, league sources tell @TheSteinLine.

More NBA from me: https://t.co/LGN9cVpeGP pic.twitter.com/PBPVlosfbc

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) March 19, 2024

Cousins had previously signed in December to play four games with the Beer Leopards. The team went 3-1 during his four-game stint in January. He averaged 22.0 points, 11.8 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.3 blocks in nearly 30 minutes on the floor per game.

Cousins was the No. 5 overall pick by the Sacramento Kings in 2010 out of Kentucky. The 33-year-old center spent most of his time with the Kings before being traded to the Pelicans in 2017. A four-time All-Star, Cousins’ NBA career was derailed by injuries. After starting nearly his entire career, he spent the final two years of his NBA career from 2020-2022 bouncing around teams and coming off the bench.

In Taiwan, Cousins gets to feel like a star player again, which makes playing there more attractive to him.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: