Despite making four straight All-Star appearances from 2015 to 2018, DeMarcus Cousins could not land an NBA job after 2022. Earlier this year, he signed with the Taiwanese T1 League’s Taiwan Beer Leopards. While he couldn’t realize his NBA championship dream, the 33-year-old Center managed to win the Championship with the Beer Leopards.
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In that wake, Dwight Howard, who played with the Beer Leopards last season, congratulated Cousins for winning the trophy and celebrated his grind after not being able to land an NBA roster spot. On his Instagram, Howard cherished the ascension of Taiwan basketball while also lauding Cousins’ achievement.
“Congrats to the Leopards @taiwanbeerleopards on winning the Championship I’m soo proud to see the team finally come out on top & to see Taiwan basketball grow @boogiecousins We spoke about this We got Global influence growing basketball all over the world Winners Win…Now you got 2 Rings brother we gotta turn up when I get to Taiwan,” Howard wrote in IG in the caption of the post.
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While the Lakers waived Cousins before the 2020 Bubble title, he was still presented an NBA ring by them. So unofficially he does have an NBA championship.
However, it must be a much more satisfying feeling to win a basketball championship for real, even bagging the Finals MVP. Meanwhile, D-12 has harnessed incredible support in Asia and has solidified his future business prospects.
Dwight Howard making big moves in Asia
On May 29, Dwight Howard announced that he was going to be a part-owner of a team in the T1 tournament. Not only will he take part in running a team, but he will also return to the Taiwan Basketball League as a player for the Taiwan Mustangs. On Insta, while making numerous profound statements, Howard rolled out a video to lay out his future trajectory.
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So, we are set for a Boogie-Howard battle all the way in Taiwan. This alone can excite a lot of fans and can increase viewership for the league as a whole. While many NBA fans often troll NBA players for continuing their hoops journey in much inferior leagues, these leagues enable players like Cousins and Howard to keep relishing their hoops dream.
It also gives them a tremendous platform to build a unique brand which is evident in Howard’s case. Maybe, Cousins can also become a part-owner soon and become a basketball icon in Asia. But at the end of the day, both of these athletes would have loved a role with an NBA team because it remains the zenith of hooping.
