Former Laker Wins Title, Finals MVP with International Team

He hasn't appeared in the NBA since 2022.

Jan 29, 2020; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers center DeMarcus Cousins shoots at the conclusion of a workout at Los Angeles Lakers Training Facility. The Lakers practice was the first since the death of Kobe Bryant. Bryant, who played his entire career with the Lakers, died with his daughter and 7 others in a helicopter crash Sunday Jan. 26, 2020. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports | Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

One-time (technical) former 2019-20 Los Angeles Lakers center DeMarcus Cousins has won his first championship, as well as his first Finals MVP... far from the NBA.

Cousins' Taiwan Beer Leopards claimed the Taiwan T1 League Championship this season, reports ClutchPoints. Cousins notched a 24-point, 24-rebound double-double in the title game, according to Du Yijun of ETtoday. He reportedly averaged 25.3 points, 16.5 rebounds, 1.8 steals, and 1.8 blocks en route to capturing the championship.

The four-time NBA All-Star is the second ex-2020 Lakers center to play for the Beer Leopards across the past two seasons, as Dwight Howard suited up for the squad in 2022-23, back when the Beer Leopards were known as the Taoyuan Leopards.

This season, Cousins was also named the T1 League's Most Popular Player of the Year.

In 2010, Cousins was selected by the Sacramento Kings with the No. 5 pick out, following a one-and-done stint with one of the starriest John Calipari-era Kentucky Wildcats squads in history. He became a four-time All-Star during stints with the Kings and New Orleans Pelicans, before he incurred a career-altering left Achilles tear midway through the 2017-18 season. The 6-foot-10 big man then took to ring-chasing, first joining the Golden State Warriors, and next the Lakers on a one-year, $3.5 million deal in the summer 2019. Los Angeles went on to win the title that year, but a left ACL tear kept Cousins from playing a single second for the Purple and Gold that year, and he was waived prior to the end of the season (although he was given a championship ring for his efforts). Cousins also played as a backup for the Houston Rockets, Milwaukee Bucks and Denver Nuggets.

He did work out for the Lakersduring the 2022-23 season, but was ultimately not picked up. Cousins hasn't suited up for an NBA squad since 2022.

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