American · Los Angeles, California · Born 15 April 1956Five-time NBA champion and the defensive specialist who guarded Magic, Bird and Jordan at the Showtime Lakers.
Michael Jerome Cooper was born in Los Angeles, California in 1956. Los Angeles Lakers selected him in the third round of the 1978 NBA Draft after four years at the University of New Mexico. His 12-season career — spent entirely with the Showtime Lakers — produced five NBA championships (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988) and the Defensive Player of the Year award in 1987. His career scoring average of 8.9 points per game understates his value enormously — he was the Lakers' defensive specialist, tasked with guarding the opponent's most dangerous perimeter player every night. He was named to the All-NBA Defensive First Team five times. He guarded Magic Johnson in practice, Larry Bird and Dennis Johnson in Finals, and Michael Jordan in playoff series. His between-the-legs pass alley-oop to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the 1984 Finals against Boston — now known as the Coop-a-loop — remains one of the most celebrated individual plays in Finals history. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019. After coaching in the WNBA — where he won multiple championships with the Los Angeles Sparks — he became a respected coaching educator. His defensive impact across five championship teams is the defining example of winning without scoring.
Elite perimeter defense and clutch three-point shooting for the Showtime Lakers
How They Played
Lockdown perimeter defender with excellent court vision and clutch shooting ability
Lasting Impact
One of the greatest defensive guards in NBA history, key member of Lakers championship dynasty
Career Honours
- NBA Champion 5x
- Defensive Player of the Year (1987)
- All-NBA Defensive First Team 5x
| Club | Period | Apps |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Lakers | 1978–1990 | 873 |
American Athletes