NBA's DeMarcus Cousins delivers 43 points, 13 rebounds in UH debut

Las Vegas has proven to be a talent hub for current and former pros to come play in Ultimate Hoops, ranging from former NBA players like Jerome JYD Williams, to current professionals playing overseas like Jeremiah Massey and David Bell.

Will Cousins wear an official league jersey next week?

It’s not every day, however, that a current NBA player walks into the gym and wants to get a game in.

That’s exactly what happened last night in Summerlin, as DeMarcus Cousins was hanging out in the gym and got recruited by Chris Mitchell to play for Livin’ the Dream.

Players are eligible to join a UH league up to Week 5, so the addition of Cousins was legal (what wasn’t legal was Cousins wearing a t-shirt and not an official UH jersey, or a jersey that matches the rest of your team, which results in an automatic technical). He got to run alongside Massey, Mitchell and the rest of Livin’ the Dream against BTE, a team that has won three of the last four Summerlin Open titles.

Cousins didn’t disappoint in his UH debut, scoring 43 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. It was clear that he was (understandably) trying to avoid the paint and taking contact, as 23 of his 31 shots were from deep (he made 10 of them).

Despite Livin’ the Dream having three current professionals on the floor, with one them being an NBA All-Star, the team chemistry of BTE still prevailed, as they moved to 3-0 on the season with a 119-105 win.

While many teams across UH Nation would probably be upset to see an NBA veteran get added to their opponent’s roster right before tipoff, BTE embraced it.

“BTE has only lost once in the last year. They were excited to play against a player of Cousins’ stature and fame,” Summerlin League Coordinator, L.C. Comine, said.

Comine added that Cousins told Mitchell, “this may not be a one-time thing.”

Cousins’ stat line from Monday night