- D’Angelo Russell credits Minnesota for helping him figure out his life outside of basketball
- Jay Williams would take the Lakers over the Warriors to win the Western Conference
- LeBron James makes it clear he won’t pay to be verified before Elon Musk’s latest Twitter rule takes effect
- Isiah Thomas believes top 7 teams in West ‘fear’ LeBron James and Lakers
- Former NBA player on the Lakers win over the Bulls: ‘That is a team last night that can win a world championship’
- LaVar Ball explains why he believes Bronny James should never play college basketball
- LeBron James seemingly brings up Austin Reaves throwing shade at him back in Miami Heat days
- Kyle Kuzma cooks Patrick Beverley after he says Clippers would’ve won title over Lakers in 2020 if not for bubble
- Brian Windhorst says LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry ‘smell weakness’ in Western Conference
- Lakers release updates on LeBron James and D’Angelo Russell ahead of crucial matchup vs. Bulls
DeMarcus Cousins on Joining Lakers: LeBron and Rondo ‘Basically Kidnapped Me and Made Me Come Here’
- Updated: July 11, 2019
The Los Angeles Lakers were targeting a particular All-Star this July, but when things didn’t go in their favor, they ended up with another. Four-time All-Star DeMarcus Cousins is now a Laker, and he explained why he chose to join the team in a recent interview.
A majority of the credit should go to both LeBron James and Rajon Rondo, who may have taken matters into their own hands in order to get Cousins in the Purple and Gold.
.@geeter3 caught up with @boogiecousins to discuss his relationship with @RajonRondo and what we can expect to see from him with the #Lakers next season. ? pic.twitter.com/poB8bCbDL0
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) July 11, 2019
“Rondo and LeBron kinda threw a pitch in there to get me here,” Cousins said. “I really talked a lot with Rondo. They basically kidnapped me and made me come here. But nah, those are two really good friends of mine, and obviously we’ve had a chance to play and be teammates previously before this. We enjoyed our time together as teammates. We’ve always talked about teaming back up and the opportunity presented itself.”
Speaking from experience, Rondo and James likely made a pitch to Cousins about what it’s like to win a championship. Rondo won his first and only title with the Celtics in 2008, while James has three rings to his credit from his days with the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers. Furthermore, James has appeared in the NBA Finals nine times, including eight straight from 2011 to 2018.
Forcibly or not, the fact that Cousins will play for the Lakers this season is a good reason for fans to celebrate. If he were to regain his All-Star form, he would easily be the league’s biggest bargain this season. He agreed to play for the Lakers on a one-year, $3.5 million deal.
A month after making his first Finals appearance with the Golden State Warriors, Cousins will be playing with familiar faces in Los Angeles. Rondo and Anthony Davis were his teammates a year ago with the New Orleans Pelicans, and the three have reunited this summer with a chance to contend for a title.