Inside The Nuggets

2x All-NBA Star, Former Nuggets Veteran Reveals Why He is Retired From NBA

Former Denver Nuggets center DeMarcus Cousins is retired from the NBA

Joey Linn

Apr 21, 2022; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center DeMarcus Cousins (4) is interviewed after game three of the first round for the 2022 NBA playoffs against the Golden State Warriors at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 21, 2022; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center DeMarcus Cousins (4) is interviewed after game three of the first round for the 2022 NBA playoffs against the Golden State Warriors at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports / Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
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Two-time All-NBA star DeMarcus Cousins was arguably the league's best center at his peak. Making four-straight All-Star Game appearances in his prime, Cousins was a dominant center that could do nearly everything on the court at a high level.

Last playing in the NBA for the Denver Nuggets in the 2021-22 season, Cousins has been out of the league since that final stint. During a episode of Above The Rim with DH 12, a podcast hosted by NBA legend Dwight Howard, Cousins blamed politics for him being retired from the NBA.

"The same reason we're not in the NBA: Politics," Cousins said when Jaylen Brown not being on Team USA was brought up. "If you actually know Jaylen Brown and what he represents and how he carries himself, they don't like that... They want a guy that's falling in line. If you have an opinion you better keep it to yourself."

Cousins announced his retirement from the NBA in an interview with Cyro Asseo de Choch of HoopsHype earlier this year, saying the following:

"I know I’ve had my time there. You know, there was a point where I was trying to make that happen. But the place I’m in my life now, just with everything I’ve got going on, just outside of basketball, like I’m in a good place. So, like I said, I’m excited for what I have ahead and my future. You know, my 12 years in the league were a small chapter or chapters in my life. And, I’m ready to move on to the next and see what’s in store for me."

Cousins recently put on a show with Howard and Quinn Cook on the Taiwan Mustangs, but it sounds like the former All-Star would have liked his NBA career to last a bit longer than it did.

In Cousins' final NBA stint, he appeared in 31 games for the Nuggets, averaging 8.9 points per game in just 13.9 minutes per game.

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Joey Linn
JOEY LINN

Title: Credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation Email: joeylinn52@gmail.com Education: Communication Studies degree from Biola University Location: Los Angeles, California Expertise: NBA analysis and reporting Experience: Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined Sports Illustrated's FanNation 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 during his time in school. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts, combined with his excellence in the classroom, earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time across multiple platforms, primarily serving as a credentialed Clippers beat writer.

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