Inside The Nuggets

Four-Time All-Star, Ex-Nuggets Veteran Gets Honest About NBA Retirement

Former All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins spoke about why he is retired from the NBA
Joey Linn|
LA Clippers center DeMarcus Cousins (15) warms up prior to game one in the second round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs at Vivint Arena.
LA Clippers center DeMarcus Cousins (15) warms up prior to game one in the second round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs at Vivint Arena. | Jeffrey Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

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Denver Nuggets

Four-time NBA All-Star DeMarcus Cousins was one of the best players in basketball during his prime. Making two All-NBA teams, Cousins was an all-around force at the center position.

Last playing in the NBA with the Denver Nuggets during the 2021-22 season, Cousins has been out of the league for a couple years. Still just 34-years-old, Cousins has continued to play basketball internationally, but is not actively seeking another NBA opportunity.

Appearing recently on the Draymond Green Show, Cousins got honest about his retirement from the NBA and why he is not out looking for another opportunity in the league.

"I've actually gotten to a place where I've found that joy again in playing ball," Cousins said. "... You get a point where the job is overwhelming, it's kind of affecting your personal life, it's affecting life at home. That's kind of what the NBA became for me. Not necessarily that it was doing anything detrimental towards me, it was just more so the mental space I was in."

Cousins had some big moments in his final NBA season, showing he still has a lot of game left.

Despite still believing in his ability, Cousins told Green he is not chasing another NBA opportunity.

"For the most part I say I'm not chasing that dream, and that's as far as me reaching out like, 'Give me a chance.' I'm not doing that," Cousins said. "Now if you guys find interest and it makes sense on both sides, then that's something I'll consider."

Cousins played for the Sacramento Kings, New Orleans Pelicans, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Milwaukee Bucks, LA Clippers, and Nuggets in his 11-year NBA career.

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Joey Linn
JOEY LINN

Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA and WNBA for On SI. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined On SI to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts and in the classroom earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time, primarily serving as a Clippers beat writer.

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