Former NBA player DeMarcus Cousins arrives in the Philippines to play for the Zamboanga Valientes in the final leg of The Asian Tournament. Just days ago, the Boogie was playing for the Taiwan Mustangs, the team that decimated Zamboanga in their last game.
Junnie Navarro, team owner of the Zamboanga Valientes, announced the unexpected surprise as the final leg of the Asian Tournament sets in the Philippines. Cousins, who’s just coming off an exhausting fourth leg, decides not to make a big scene at the airport and will discuss things at an upcoming press conference.
“It’s official. DeMarcus Cousins will play for Zamboanga Valientes in the grand finals of The Asian Tournament.”
The four-time NBA All-Star would now play for the Philippines, along with Malik Diouf, Mike Tolomia, and Nicholas Evans on the Valientes. The team just ended the fourth leg of the basketball league horrifyingly, brutally losing against the Mustangs, 146-100.
DeMarcus was also on the Taiwan Mustangs at that game, where he was with his former NBA players Dwight Howard, Quinn Cook, and the 7-foot-6 Sam Deguara. The Mustangs, overall, had a championship run in the 4th leg of the Asian Tournament. They plan to continue their winning streak in the Philippines, where Zamboanga Valientes will host.
The Valientes aim to stop the Mustangs from getting the back-to-back championship they’re set for. Their head coach, Chris Gavina, had once said that his team’s brutal loss against the Howard-led team based in Taiwan was expected anyway. Now that they have Cousins, he could finally have the confidence to confront the Taiwanese force.
A look at DeMarcus Cousins’ basketball career
For 11 seasons, DeMarcus Cousins played for the Sacramento Kings, the New Orleans Pelicans, the Golden State Warriors, and many more in his NBA career. He became a four-time NBA All-Star and two-time All-NBA Second Team. However, he never won a championship. The former Kentucky player didn’t even pass the first round of the Playoffs.
In 2023, Cousins left the NBA and signed with the Guaynabo Mets, a team based in Puerto Rico. He made the nation’s league playoffs but never entered the finals. He also got injured. He then moved to Asia, signing with the Taiwan Beer Leopards of the T1 League.
This year, DeMarcus Cousins finally got his first championship in Taiwan and was made the Finals MVP. He signed with the Taiwan Mustangs in June 2024 and then switched to the Zamboanga Valientes more than a month late.
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