DeMarcus Cousins joins Strong Group’s redemption tour in Dubai tilt

Strong Group Athletics has gotten a huge lift for its redemption tour in the 34th Dubai International Basketball Championship next year after signing former NBA star DeMarcus Cousins. 

SGA announced Cousins' arrival on Saturday as the club looks to bounce back from a heartbreaking silver medal finish in the previous edition early this year. 

“We worked hard to get DeMarcus. I’ve heard great feedback about him, and I’ve spoken to him a couple of times. He’s serious, means business, and wants to win. We’ve even been discussing personnel matters already,” said Strong Group head coach Charles Tiu. 

“Kudos and a big thank you to Boss Jacob and Boss Frank for making this possible. I’m excited for us to have another great star on our team!”

The 34-year-old Cousins has a wealthy resume, having played in the NBA for 12 years that saw him have stops with Sacramento Kings, New Orleans Pelicans, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers, Milwaukee Bucks, and Denver Nuggets. 

The 6-foot-10 center is also an owner of four NBA All-Star appearances and two All-NBA Second Team inclusion. 

He then proceeded making waves overseas, suiting up Mets de Guaynabo in Puerto Rico, Taiwan Beer Leopards and Taiwan Mustangs in Taiwan, and with the Zamboanga Valientes, which he helped steer to the title sweep in The Asian Tournament.  

With Cousins on board, SGA is looking to recover from last year's mishaps that saw them falter to Al Riyadi in the finals. Al Riyadi was the same team that defeated SGA during quarterfinals of the 2023 edition. 

The Dubai tournament is slated from January 24 to February 2. 

—JKC, GMA Integrated News