Michael “Coop” Cooper, an integral player during the Showtime Lakers era that won five NBA championships, will be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame later this year as part of the Class of 2024.
Coop, as he was known by fans during his playing days, spent his entire 12-year NBA career with the Lakers, winning five titles alongside other Laker legends like Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, among others, from 1979 to 1991.
A lockdown defender, Cooper was named to the NBA All-Defensive team eight times, winning the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award in 1987; basketball great Larry Bird once remarked that Cooper was “the best defender” to guard him during his career.
Throughout his 12 years with the Lakers, Coop, who was known for wearing knee-high socks while playing, averaged 8.9 points, 4.2 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game while shooting 47 percent from the field and 34 percent from three-point range.
Shortly after retiring, Cooper began a coaching career, serving as an assistant coach for the Lakers and Nuggets and the head coach of the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks and Atlanta Dream. He was also the head coach of USC’s women’s basketball team from 2009-2013.
Also included in the NBA’s 2024 Hall of Fame class are Vince Carter, Chauncey Billups, Seimone Augustus, Bo Ryan and others.
Lakers legend Jerry West, who was already inducted into the Hall of Fame as a player in 1979 and in 2010 in recognition of the 1960 United States Olympics men’s basketball team, will be inducted for a record third time as an executive.
The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame’s induction ceremony will take place Saturday, August 17 in Springfield, Mass.