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Before sustaining a plethora of injuries, DeMarcus Cousins was one of the most dominant big men in basketball.
After forcing his way out of the Sacramento, he linked up with Anthony Davis in New Orleans, helping make them a contender in the Western Conference until he went down with a ruptured Achilles late in the 2017-18 season.
Cousins then signed with the Golden State Warriors. After making return to the court, Cousins tore his quad, leaving him sidelined for most of the 2018-19 playoffs.
A free agent again, he was given another chance to shine with the Los Angeles Lakers, signing with them this past offseason. That didn’t last long as he tore his ACL before playing a single game in LA, then was eventually waived during the season.
It’s been a rough past few years for Cousins, as he’s just not been able to stay healthy and was never truly being able to reunite with Davis.
However, when Davis won the NBA Finals with his Lakers yesterday, he remembered Cousins. Davis, per a report from The Athletic’s Shams Charania, FaceTimed Cousins in the locker room following the team’s Game 6 victory.
Anthony Davis FaceTimed his ex-teammate, DeMarcus Cousins, in championship locker room tonight. Cousins is eligible for a Lakers ring.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 12, 2020
Both Cousins and Davis were Kentucky Wildcats with the former being taken in the 2010 NBA Draft and the latter in 2012. Obviously having been on two teams together and both having come through Lexington, the friendship is there, and it’s nice to see Davis including Cousins in on the celebration.
Davis scored 19 points and hauled down a game-high 15 boards in Game 6.
This was Davis’ first NBA Championship while teammate LeBron James, who won Finals MVP, now has four to his name.
That said, let’s hope the Lakers do right by Cousins and give him the chance to take a ring, something he’s likely craved his entire career. But since he didn’t actually play for the Lakers, Cousins may pass on it in hopes of winning one by actually playing in the NBA Finals.
If Cousins does receive a ring, that would make four former Wildcats who did so, as he’d join Davis, Rajon Rondo, and Lakers head coach Frank Vogel.