NBA All-Star a 'huge fan' of NBL

Ahead of his arrival in Australia for the country’s first-ever NBA House, one All-Star has praised the NBL.

Four-time NBA All-Star DeMarcus Cousins, who will be in Melbourne this week alongside 2023 Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr., says he’s long been impressed by the Hungry Jack’s NBL.

"A huge fan of the league. I watch from afar. It's a very entertaining league, as far as what y'all got going on in Australia. It's almost like a good soap opera on top of good basketball, so I'm definitely a fan of the league," Cousins said in an interview with ESPN.

"I remember there was a little back and forth between Kendric Davis and Montrezl Harrell, so there was always something. I'm like, man, this is entertaining. On top of that, it's really high-level basketball. It drew me in more, made me wanna tune in more."

While never actually experiencing the NBL firsthand, the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games gold medallist has been a teammate of six-time MVP Bryce Cotton in Puerto Rico, so he has a grasp on the competition.

The 35-year-old also explained he’s had many offers to come play in Australia in the past too, but they’ve never lined up.

"I've had some offers in the past. A lot of the times when it came to me picking where I played, it was about my own personal convenience: the length of schedule, the travel schedule, things of that nature. I had EuroLeague offers, offers from China, offers from Australia. I pretty much had an offer from anywhere that had basketball,” he said.

NBA House will run from May 14-17 at Timber Yard, and also feature Australian NBA star Johnny Furphy.

Read the full story here >> DeMarcus Cousins talks NBA House, Bogut, Giddey, and the NBL