Getty Golden State Warriors shooting guard Moses Moody battles for a loose ball with Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard.
Two former Golden State Warriors players have enlisted to play alongside Dwight Howard in July as members of the Taiwan Mustangs in the biggest hoops tournament in Asia.
Shams Charania of The Athletic has reported that currently non-active NBA players DeMarcus Cousins and Quinn Cook are headed to Taiwan to join Howard, who has established himself as a prominent figure in the Taiwan League.
2020 Lakers reunion: DeMarcus Cousins, Dwight Howard and Quinn Cook will play together on the Taiwan Mustags in the Asian Tournament in July, sources say. Howard serves as a player and part-owner of the Taiwan league.
“2020 Lakers reunion: DeMarcus Cousins, Dwight Howard and Quinn Cook will play together on the Taiwan Mustangs in the Asian Tournament in July, sources say,” Charania posted to X on Tuesday, June 18. “Howard serves as a player and part-owner of the Taiwan League.”
DeMarcus Cousins Came Up Just Short of NBA Title With Warriors
GettyDeMarcus Cousins, formerly of the Golden State Warriors.
While the reunion of the trio in Taiwan is Lakers-related, Cousins and Cook also played together as members of the Warriors’ Western Conference championship team in 2018-19.
Cousins appeared in 30 games for the Dubs that season and saw minutes in the playoffs as well. He averaged 16.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.3 steals for Golden State that year, which ended in an NBA Finals loss to the Toronto Raptors.
Cousins officially retired from the league in February 2024, which he made clear while speaking with USA Today’s Hoops Hype.
“I know I’ve had my time there,” Cousins said. “There was a point where I was trying to make that happen, but the place I’m in my life now, just with everything I’ve got going on just outside of basketball, like I’m in a good place. So, like I said, I’m excited for what I have ahead and my future. You know, my 12 years in the league were a small chapter or chapters in my life, and I’m ready to move on to the next and see what’s in store for me.”
As for Cook, he last played in the Association during the 2020-21 season as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Before that, the point guard took part in two runs to the Finals with the Warriors, capturing a championship ring with the team in 2017-18.
Dwight Howard Has Bizarre Recent History With Warriors
Getty Dwight Howard, formerly of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Howard played 18 years in the NBA, though none of them with the Warriors. Still, that hasn’t stopped a level of awkwardness from developing between the future Hall-of-Fame center and the Golden State organization.
Howard worked out for the Warriors across two days in September 2023, as he attempted a return to the league.
“I’m told Dwight Howard successfully completed his two-day workout with Golden State,” The Warriors Talk X account posted on September 20, 2023. “The past few days for Howard included chats with high-ranking members of the [organization] including Steve Kerr and Mike Dunleavy, among others.”
Howard, who last played for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2021-22, didn’t end up joining the roster. He then took to X on September 23, 2023 with a cryptic message.
Only as a WARRIOR can one withstand the path of knowledge. A WARRIOR cannot complain or regret anything. His life is an endless challenge. And challenges cannot possibly be good or bad. Challenges are simply challenges. 💯 🫵🏾 go be GR8
“Only as a WARRIOR can one withstand the path of knowledge,” Howard wrote. ” A WARRIOR cannot complain or regret anything. His life is an endless challenge. And challenges cannot possibly be good or bad. Challenges are simply challenges. 💯 👊 go be GR8.”
While Howard never got to officially be a Warrior in the context of the NBA, he now has two former Warriors playing alongside him as they accept the greatest basketball challenge the Asian continent has to offer.