Michael Cooper spent his entire career with the Los Angeles Lakers as a defensive-minded point guard who always focused on helping his Showtime teammates become stars.
When the Lakers hoisted Cooper’s No. 21 jersey on Monday night, Cooper relished his long-awaited chance in the spotlight.
The 17-year NBA champion Lakers honored Cooper in a halftime ceremony during their game against the San Antonio Spurs, unveiling his No. 21 jersey on the wall of honor at their downtown arena between Magic Johnson’s No. 32 and James Worthy’s No. 42 .
It’s a fitting position for Cooper, who served as the hard-working glue guy on the flashy, exciting teams that won five NBA championships in the 1980s.
“This is very surprising to me, because I did not expect this at all,” said Cooper, 68. “I have always played for the love of the game, for the team, and to win championships. Tonight, for me, is more special than the Hall of Fame – but both are equally important.”
Michael Cooper’s No. 21 jersey now hangs between Magic Johnson’s No. 32 and James Worthy’s No. 42. (Photo by Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images)
Cooper is still very popular in his hometown of Los Angeles, as evidenced by the hums and chants of “Coooooooooop” he was given throughout the night. The Lakers gave every fan a Cooper jersey in their hometown arena for their first game since the wildfires ravaged the Los Angeles area.
The number’s retirement coincidentally came on an already emotional night for the Lakers and their fans after their previous two games were postponed due to the wildfire disaster. Cooper is a Pasadena native who also lived next door to Altadena, which was destroyed by the Eaton Canyon fire.
“It’s a happy and sad moment for me,” Cooper said. “A lot of signs, a few middle schools that I went to, they’re all gone now. Tonight I’m going to enjoy it, but with a heavy heart because a lot of people have lost a lot of things.”
Cooper was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame last October, 33 years after his last NBA game. The Lakers only withdrew the numbers of Hall of Famers, and soon announced that Cooper would join some of the most important players in the history of basketball among the franchise’s honored players.
Cooper was never an All-Star, but he was the 1980s version of the 3-DD specialist who has become an integral part of any NBA team in the 21st century. He was a five-time All-Defensive first-team selection, and was named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year in 1987.
“I’ve always tried to play the game the right way,” Cooper said. “It’s a good feeling that people see that. Even though I’ve always been in a team with a lot of megastars, sometimes I was overshadowed. But that didn’t bother me, because it was always about the work we do. They put it together, and they won championships.”
Cooper continued a long coaching career after leaving the Lakers, leading the Los Angeles Sparks to two WNBA championships.
Cooper was joined on the court at halftime by former Lakers coach Pat Riley and several of his Lakers teammates, including Johnson, Worthy, Byron Scott, Norm Nixon, Jamaal Wilkes, Kurt Rambis and Vlade Divac.
Johnson took the microphone first, calling Cooper “one of the greatest players to ever play the game of basketball.”
It is reported by the Associated Press.
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