MPS-Imagn Images
Los Angeles Lakers forward Michael Cooper (21) shoots over Dallas Mavericks forward Roy Tarpley (42) during the 1988 NBA Western Conference Finals at Reunion Arena.
LOS ANGELES — You could probably forgive Michael Cooper for checking his watch. After all, it is rare for a former athlete to have two long, overdue honors hit you in-box some 30 years after you hit your last 3-pointer.
Cooper, the personable Lakers fan favorite, is not defensive – which is ironic as defense was his calling card. He never gave up hope nor did he play the blame game or make excuses. That is who Cooper is: The Ultimate Teammate.
Good things happen to those who wait, and the 68-year old local hoops standout is proof. Despite playing in his 12th and final NBA season in 1990, it is here in 2024 and then again in early 2025 when he is receiving the ultimate individual flowers.
A Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductee this past weekend. The next Lakers legend to have his jersey retired come January. It is indeed good to be Michael Cooper, who was born in Pasadena, spent his entire career in purple-and-gold, and talked with The Sporting Tribune a few days before donning his well-deserved blazer in Springfield.
The Sporting Tribune: Basketball Hall of Fame. Jersey retirement ceremony. Has Christmas come early in the Cooper Household?
Michael Cooper: My wife has been saying, ‘This the Year of the Coop.’ It is exciting and it overwhelms me sometimes because I have always played this game for the love of it. I played as hard as I could for 12 years, for one organization, and I left a lot of blood and sweat on the court at the Forum. This is the ultimate give-back and that is what makes it so special.
To be enshrined in a place that is so special and has so many of my teammates there, and then for No. 21 to be beside four or five of my teammates takes to me Dr. Buss who believed in this. He felt it was about players giving back and put their best effort into the Lakers and I like to think I did that. There is an old saying that says, “better late than ever.’ It’s not that I was looking forward to this but I am glad to see it.
TST: Think back to when you played at Pasadena City College. Would these accolades have crossed your mind at all?
MC: Never in my wildest dreams ever. That is what makes this so mind-blowing. There is a saying: ‘If I can do it, you can do it.’ I really believe in that, and I think the young kids coming behind me can sort of use this as inspiration, whether they be doctors, writers, or athletes. I was a skinny kid out of Pasadenia using sports before it used me. In our family I had to use sports to further myself. I was fortunate to have had good coaches at a young age teach me the game. I kept my head on straight. I had some bumps along the road but I kept looking forward and that led to the University of New Mexico, and now all these accolades and honors are coming at me. I did not see this at all. If you work hard, stay focused and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, great things can come your way.
I was not a highly touted high school player or highly-touted college player. Even in the NBA I was a sixth man who focused and worked hard on my role. My grandmother instilled in me to work hard. She believed good things come from that..
TST: With the Lakers retiring your number on January 13, 2025, how did you learn of that honor?
MC: The Lakers are very instrumental in working with my family, bringing in the people who have supported me. They are making it big as they have done with all the other Lakers, most recently with Pau Gasol. Going through that process has me connected with them as does my work in the community for them as an ambassador. Linda Rambis has been key to this as has Jeanie Buss of course.
One day, Linda said, ‘Hey Coop the Lakers are going to retire your jersey.’ She just threw it at me. I was overwhelmed about the Hall of Fame and then they added that. I was speechless.
The Lakers have been so loyal and committed to all Lakers players who have in turn been committed to the organization. I found out just like that — ‘Hey Coop, the Lakers are going to retire your jersey, January 13.’
TST: The first time you come to a Lakers game after that ceremony, how many times will you look on the arena wall, just to make sure?
MC: I won’t look at it. But something that makes me extra proud is the legacy I am leaving. I will be a grandfather soon and while dying is part of living, that day when I am not here will still have the jersey there. It will be at Crypto.com Arena and then as the Lakers win more championships, you never know where things will go. But the jersey will walk into the home of the Lakers and see their grandfather did something. It is a visual for them.
I like that idea. Especially now. The footage of Michael Cooper playing keeps get grainy. It was crystal clear. Now the video seems faded but that jersey will never fade away. The jersey will be crystal clear. The jersey will be with my teammates forever and others who represent the Lakers like they do.
TST: You mentioned Jeanie Buss, the daughter of Dr. Buss. Was it extra special knowing the family ties there? After all, you played your entire NBA career under the Buss family.
MC: It for sure makes it extra special. When Dr. Buss bought the Lakers, it was important right away to be part of the community. Starting in 1983 I was going out to some schools early in the morning. Jeanie saw that with her dad. She was always there, from training camp to those five moments we shared as champions. She has continued that legacy. The greatness of the Lakers.
Magic. James Worthy. Kareem. I think we have always felt like we were part of the Buss family. You see my playing days come to an end, and there is Johnny Buss who hires me to coach the Sparks. We win championships there. We players feel part of it and we feel rewarded for the hard work and dedication.
TST: You have not played an NBA game in more than 30 years. Why now?
MC: I haven’t given that a lot of thought. I am just appreciative they would even bestow the endorsement that I belong. I think one of the reasons it is now is that we were involved in introducing a certain style of play that we did back then. I am not knocking the game in the 60s and 70s, but Magic Johnson and Larry Bird came in and changed the game. I was of course glad to be there and glad to be part of it.
As for my role, everyone wants to hear their name in the starting line-up, but that is not what was best for our team. For me it was being that sixth man and it is something I cherished, and in that role I helped the team win five championships, something only me and Kareem and Magic did. That stands out. I did it with one organization and I never left. I was a winner with the Los Angeles Lakers.
I was never an All-Star. But I was part of winning and I was loyal. I think we rivaled the Celtics then, and I do like what the Celtics do. They have a banner with (jersey) numbers on it. No names on it, but the numbers of role players who were very special to them when they won.
I wished the Lakers would do that. Think of Kurt Rambis, Byron Scott, A.C. Green, Mychael Thompson. We don’t win in ‘85 without Mychael. Jerry West made the trade because he knew Kevin McHale so well. They need to be featured too. I am one of the ones elevated but I like the idea of banners with so many more names. Robert Horry, Brian Shaw, and Derek Fisher. It took 30-plus years for me, but expect many more to come behind me.
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Los Angeles Lakers former guard Michael Cooper (left) and forward Mychal Thompson throw the ceremonial first pitch before the game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Dodger Stadium.
TST: You and Norm Van Lier had the distinction of being the players who had the most NBA defensive selections of any player to not be inducted. Do you think now in these uber-analytic times your past defensive metrics helped you?
MC: I do but when I got that call, and Mr. (Jerry) Colangelo gave me the goods news, I started to make some calls, do some research. I know my stats but the Basketball Hall of Fame is also about what you do off the court. In 1987, myself and Rory Sparrow were Walter J. Kennedy Citizenship Award recipients. I have always tried to give back to this game.
It was my body of work on the court, which included my defense and me being a team player and winning championships. Then I left the game which every one does – even LeBron James will at some point. It was coaching in various leagues. Giving back to the game plays a big role. The great ones get it. The ones who fall a little below that mark, myself and many others, are those who have given their all on and off the court.
TST: Chick would have been the ultimate Master of Ceremonies for the event next January. What do you think he would have said?
MC: ‘Young man, job well done.’ And my greatest Chickism of all time, which I think really embodies me. ‘Coop is like linoleum. He’s all over the place.’ He said that only three times, and that is what I tried to do. To be a basketball player and to get into the Hall of Fame, you have to be everywhere.
In addition to Chick being missed, Dr. Buss and Jerry West will really be missed. Jerry West was a big mentor of mine. I know they will be there in spirit. I am glad to be on the stage with my teammates.
TST: As a team-first winner of five NBA titles, is it safe to say you would not give back those rings for any individual honor?
MC: No way. No, no, no. It is about those five championships. It is all about the team. Together everyone achieves more. Basketball is a team sport and if you don’t want to play a team sport play an individual sport. It is not about being the team. It is about being part of the team.
For more than 20 years, Jeff Moeller has been a voice in the Southern California pro sports community. He contributes to The Sporting Tribune on a semi-regular basis. A huge basketball fan, he made the only shot he took at the Great Western Forum.
