DeMarcus Cousins joins Zamboanga Valientes for The Asian Tournament finals

DeMarcus Cousins hasn’t had enough of The Asian Tournament. After winning the Taiwan leg of the event alongside Dwight Howard and Quinn Cook on the Taiwan Mustangs, Boogie joined Zamboanga Valientes for the finals, which tipped off today in the Philippines.

Cousins arrived in Zamboanga on Friday. According to Homer Sayson, he signed a ten-day deal with Valientes worth $200,000. Other names on the Valientes roster you probably don’t recognize: former UAAP MVP Malick Diouf, former North Texas star Ricky Bryce, and former PBA players Mike Tolomia, Franky Johnson, Rudy Lingganay, and Mac Belo.

“[My teammates] are hardworking, talented, I think they’re serious about winning. So, I’m happy about that,” Cousins said at a media event on Saturday, via PhilStar.com. “It’s a good group. I’m excited to be here, I’m excited to play, I can’t wait to get on the floor with these guys.”

“Boogie is a four-time NBA All-Star,” Zamboanga team owner Junnie Navarro said. “We want to inspire the Filipinos, especially the Zamboangenos. We want to show a high-caliber import who can help us and who can inspire our local players and who can help us win the championship.”

Here are some pictures and videos of the scene in Zamboanga as Boogie arrived:

COUSINS IN ZAMBO 🤩🙌

Former NBA star DeMarcus Cousins received a warm welcome from the Zamboangueños as he arrived to join the Zamboanga Valientes as an import for the final leg of The Asian Tournament.

🎥 Wendell Alinea pic.twitter.com/tdo1QtbOs6

— One Sports (@OneSportsPHL) August 4, 2024

COUSINS IN MANILA 🤩

Former NBA All-Star DeMarcus Cousins arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Friday afternoon. He is slated to play as an import for the Zamboanga Valientes in the final segment of The Asian Tournament.

📸Wendell Alinea pic.twitter.com/299Ax1b5cj

— One Sports (@OneSportsPHL) August 2, 2024

Valientes beat the Macau Black Bears in today’s opener 93-81. I’m having a tough time finding a box score but it appears Malick Diouf won MVP honors after putting up 32 points and 29 rebounds, which are Oscar Tshiebwe numbers. Based on this highlight reel, Cousins exited the game a few times and cheered the team on from the bench in the fourth quarter. Hopefully, he’s okay.

Valientes is back in action tomorrow vs. the Naic Aces. On Thursday, they’ll face the Vanta Black Dragons on the final day of pool play. The TAT semifinals are on Friday and finals are on Saturday. Go Boogie. Go Valientes.