Michael Cooper

Michael Jerome Cooper was born on April 15, 1956, in Los Angeles, California. He attended Pasadena High School, where he excelled in basketball, graduating in 1974. He later played college basketball at Pasadena City College before transferring to the University of New Mexico. During his two seasons with the New Mexico Lobos from 1976 to 1978, he was named first-team All-Western Athletic Conference. In his senior year, he earned first-team All-American honors from the United States Basketball Writers Association, averaging 16.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game as the Lobos won the WAC title. He would later be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2024.

Selected by the Los Angeles Lakers in the third round of the 1978 NBA draft, 60th overall, Cooper became a critical component of the Lakers’ “Showtime” teams in the 1980s. Known for his exceptional defensive skills, he earned eight NBA All-Defensive Team selections, including five first-team nods. In 1987, he was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year. He contributed to five Lakers NBA championships in 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, and 1988, playing alongside Hall of Famers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson. Cooper, standing 6 ft 7 in and weighing 174 lbs, was versatile, playing shooting guard, small forward, and point guard, often tasked with guarding the opponent’s best offensive player. He left the Lakers after the 1989–90 season.

Following his playing career, Cooper transitioned into coaching. He served as a special assistant to Lakers’ general manager Jerry West and later joined the Lakers’ coaching staff. In 1999, he became an assistant coach for the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks, guiding them to their first playoff appearance. As head coach for the Sparks, he led the team to consecutive WNBA Championships in 2001 and 2002 and was named WNBA Coach of the Year in 2000. He also coached the Albuquerque Thunderbirds to an NBA D-League Championship in 2006. Cooper has held various coaching roles across different levels of basketball, including interim head coach for the Denver Nuggets and head coach for the USC Trojans’ women’s basketball team and the Atlanta Dream. Most recently, he served as an assistant men’s basketball coach at Cal State L.A. in 2023.