On This Day In NBA History: August 13 - DeMarcus Cousins Is Born

On this day in 1990, four-time All-Star center and former 5th overall pick DeMarcus Cousins was born in Mobile, Alabama.

On this day in 1990, DeMarcus Cousins was born in Mobile, Alabama, a port city in Alabama that lies on the Mobile Bay, which connects with the Gulf of Mexico.

A five-star recruit and one of the best recruits in the country coming out of high school in 2009, Cousins decommitted from UAB and committed to Memphis to play for John Calipari. When Calipari was hired by Kentucky shortly after, Cousins decommitted from Memphis and committed to Kentucky, where he ended up playing with fellow five-star recruit John Wall and helped the Wildcats reach the Elite-8 in the 2010 NCAA Tournament.

Drafted fifth overall by the Sacramento Kings in the 2010 NBA Draft, DeMarcus Cousins came into the NBA and immediately made his presence felt.

The Kings may not have made the playoffs with Cousins as their All-Star leader, but the big man ended up solidifying himself as one of the best centers in all of basketball from 2013-2017.

Spending six-and-a-half seasons with the Kings, DeMarcus Cousins played 448 games in a Sacramento Kings uniform, averaging 21.1 points, 10.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks before being traded to the New Orleans Pelicans during the 2016-17 season.

The All-Star center was dealt to New Orleans along with Omri Casspi in exchange for Buddy Hield, Tyreke Evans, Langston Galloway and two picks in 2017, one being a first-round pick, one being a second-round pick.

A look at DeMarcus Cousins' best plays as a member of the New Orleans Pelicans! 💪 pic.twitter.com/SiH0wPkyxR

— NBA TV (@NBATV) July 3, 2018

Teaming up with All-Star big man and fellow Kentucky alum Anthony Davis in New Orleans, the Pelicans suddenly looked like they could be a big threat in the Western Conference, but in the midst of the 2017-18 season, Cousins suffered a torn left Achilles.

Being in a contract year and coming off of an Achilles injury, not many teams were willing to gamble on the big man, which is why he received very little interest in free agency and ended up signing a minimum-like one-year contract with the Golden State Warriors.

With DeMarcus Cousins, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry, the Warriors were viewed as a juggernaut in the NBA and were the favorites to win the 2019 NBA Finals, giving Cousins a very good chance to win his first championship.

Coming back in January of the 2018-19 season from his Achilles injury, Cousins looked like he fit right in with the Warriors system and he really began to make an impact for them in their frontcourt, but then DeMarcus Cousins suffered a torn left quadriceps in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Clippers. He was able to return for the 2019 NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors, but Cousins was not 100% whatsoever and was just a shadow of his dominant self.

The Warriors ended up losing this series and Cousins left in the offseason to sign a one-year contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. Getting ready for the 2019-20 season with the Lakers, Cousins was working out and playing a pick-up game in the offseason before he ended up suffering yet another major left leg injury.

DeMarcus Cousins was diagnosed with a torn left ACL, resulting in him missing the entirety of the 2019-20 season and being waived by Los Angeles before the season began.

While he has played for the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers, Milwaukee Bucks and Denver Nuggets the last two seasons, Cousins has really never recovered from back-to-back-to-back major left leg injuries and is no longer viewed as the high-impact All-Star he once was.

It is quite a shame to see what has happened to a talented player like DeMarcus Cousins, but he is still looking to give it his all in this league and still remains an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

As of right now, no teams around the league have shown much interest in the four-time All-Star, which could lead to him being a potential midseason acquisition for a team who could be dealing with injuries in their frontcourt.

Now 32-years-old, DeMarcus Cousins is just looking for another team to believe in him and should he get another opportunity during the 2022-23 season, Cousins could absolutely provide some experienced depth for any team.