Michael Jerome Cooper (born April 15, 1956), nicknamed "Coop", is an American

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

coach and former player. He played for the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

during his entire career in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA), winning five

NBA championship The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern and Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league ...

s with the Lakers during their Showtime era. He was an eight-time selection to the

NBA All-Defensive Team The NBA All-Defensive Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1968–69 NBA season to the best defensive players during the regular season. The All-Defensive Team is generally composed of ten players in tw ...

, including five times on the first team. He was named the

NBA Defensive Player of the Year The NBA Defensive Player of the Year is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1982–83 NBA season to the best defensive player of the regular season. The winner is selected by a panel of 124 sportswriters and b ...

in 1987. Cooper was inducted into the

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pre ...

in 2024. The Lakers

retired Retirement is the withdrawal from one's position or occupation or from one's active working life. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours or workload. Many people choose to retire when they are elderly or incapable of doing their j ...

his 21 jersey in 2025. As a coach, Cooper led the

Los Angeles Sparks The Los Angeles Sparks are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Sparks compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Western Conference. The team plays its home games at Crypto.co ...

of the

Women's National Basketball Association The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. The league comprises 13 teams (scheduled to expand to 15 in 2026). The WNBA is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan. The WNBA w ...

(WNBA) to two championships and the

Albuquerque Thunderbirds Albuquerque ( ; ), also known as ABQ, Burque, the Duke City, and in the past 'the Q', is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Bernalillo County. Founded in 1706 as ' by Santa Fe de Nuevo México gover ...

to one

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the Minor league#Basketball, developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of ...

title. He has also coached in the NBA, WNBA, and the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of the 2024–25 season, ...

. He was the head coach for boys basketball at

Culver City High School Culver City High School is the main public high school of the Culver City Unified School District (CCUSD) in Culver City, California. It was established in 1951. The school's colors are blue and silver, and the mascot is the centaur. As of 2022, ...

in California from 2021 to 2023. He then took an assistant coaching job for men's basketball at

California State University, Los Angeles California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA) is a public research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. It is part of the California State University system. Cal State LA offers 142 bachelor's degree programs, 122 m ...

Early life

Michael Jerome Cooper was born on April 15, 1956, in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, California. When he was three years old, he cut one of his knees severely, requiring 100 stitches to close. At the time the doctor said that he would never be able to walk. Cooper attended Pasadena High School, where he excelled in

. He graduated in 1974.

College career

Cooper attended

Pasadena City College Pasadena City College (PCC) is a Public college, public community college in Pasadena, California. It was founded in 1924 as Pasadena Junior College. History Pasadena City College was founded in 1924 as Pasadena Junior College. It originally o ...

before transferring to the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; ) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. Founded in 1889 by the New Mexico Territorial Legislature, it is the state's second oldest university, a flagship university in th ...

. He played for the

New Mexico Lobos The New Mexico Lobos are the sport, athletic teams that represent the University of New Mexico, located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque. The university participates in the NCAA Division I in the Mountain West Conference (MW) since 1999 ...

for two seasons, 1976–78, and was named first team All-Western Athletic Conference. In Cooper's senior season, he was named a first-team

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

by the

United States Basketball Writers Association The United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) was founded in 1956 with the urging of National Collegiate Athletic Association director Walter Byers to serve the interests of journalists who cover college basketball. Scholarships The U ...

. The Lobos won the WAC title, with Cooper averaging 16.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game.

Professional career

Los Angeles Lakers (1978–1990)

Selected by the

in the third round of the

1978 NBA draft The 1978 NBA draft was the 32nd annual NBA draft, draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on June 9, 1978, at the Plaza Hotel in New York City, New York, before the 1978–79 NBA season, 1978–79 season. In this dr ...

with the 60th overall pick, Cooper became an integral part of their Showtime teams of the 1980s with his defensive skills. In a twelve-year career, he was named to the NBA All Defensive Team eight times, including five first-team selections. Until 2024, Cooper and

Norm Van Lier Norman Allen Van Lier III (April 1, 1947 – February 26, 2009) was an American professional basketball player and television broadcaster who spent the majority of his career with the Chicago Bulls. Early life Norman Van Lier was born on April ...

had the most defensive selections of any player to not be inducted into the

Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pres ...

. He was named a finalist in 2022 and was selected for induction into the Hall of Fame in 2024. He won the

NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award The NBA Defensive Player of the Year is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1982–83 NBA season to the best defensive player of the regular season. The winner is selected by a panel of 124 sportswriters and b ...

in 1987. He, along with

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ( ; born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr. , April 16, 1947) is an American former basketball player. He played professionally for 20 seasons for the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Associatio ...

and

Magic Johnson Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. (born August 14, 1959) is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. Often regarded as the greatest point guard of all time, Johnson List of NBA players who have spent their entire career w ...

, was a member of five Lakers championship teams in 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, and 1988. At 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m), 174 lb (77 kg), the rail-thin Cooper known for his knee-high socks, played shooting guard, small forward, and point guard, although his defensive assignment was usually the other team's best shooter at the 2 or 3 position.

Larry Bird Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Hick from French Lick" and "Larry Legend" Bird is widely regarded a ...

has said that Cooper was the best defender he faced. For his career, Cooper averaged 8.9 points, 4.2 assists, 3.2 rebounds, 1.2 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game. A popular player among Lakers fans, home crowds were known to chant, "Coooooooop" whenever he controlled the ball, and the Lakers sometimes ran an

alley-oop In basketball, an alley-oop is an offensive play in which one player passes the ball near the basket to a teammate who jumps, catches the ball in mid-air and dunks or lays it in before touching the ground. The alley-oop combines elements of t ...

play for him that was dubbed the "Coop-a-loop." Leaving the team after the 1989–90 season, he was ranked among the club's all-time top 10 in three-point field goals (428), games played (873), total minutes played (23,635), steals (1033), blocked shots (523), assists (3,666), defensive rebounds (2,028), offensive rebounds (741), and free throw percentage (.833).

Pallacanestro Virtus Roma (1990–1991)

Cooper then played for the 1990–91 season in Italy for

Pallacanestro Virtus Roma Virtus Roma 1960, commonly known as Virtus Roma, is an Italian professional basketball club based in Rome, Lazio. The club, named Pallacanestro Virtus Roma competed in the Italian basketball league system, first division of Italian basketball, the ...

in the Italian

Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...

, averaging 15.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.9 steals, 1.8 assists, and 0.3 blocks per game.

Coaching career

Los Angeles Lakers (1994–1997)

Following Cooper's playing career, he served as Special Assistant to Lakers' general manager

Jerry West Jerry Alan West (May 28, 1938 – June 12, 2024) was an American basketball player and executive. He played professionally for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), and is widely regarded as one of the greatest ...

for three years before joining the Lakers' coaching staff in March 1994 under

, then with

Del Harris Delmer William Harris (born June 18, 1937) is an American basketball coach who is currently the vice president of the Texas Legends, the NBA G League affiliate of the Dallas Mavericks. He served as a head coach for the NBA's Houston Rockets, Mi ...

from 1994 to 1996.

Los Angeles Sparks (1999–2004)

Cooper became an assistant coach of the WNBA's

in 1999, and helped the team reach the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, with a record of 20–12. He was named the Sparks' head coach in November 1999, and the Sparks' record quickly improved, as they finished 28–4 in their 2000 campaign. Cooper was named the WNBA Coach of the Year for his efforts. The Sparks followed with consecutive WNBA Championships in 2001 and 2002, but were denied a third straight WNBA title by losing to the

Detroit Shock The Detroit Shock were a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. They were the 2003, 2006, and 2008 WNBA champions. Debuting in 1998, the Shock were one of the league's first expansion franchises. Th ...

in 2003.

Denver Nuggets (2004–2005)

After the

Sacramento Monarchs The Sacramento Monarchs were a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. They played in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) from 1997 until folding on November 20, 2009. They played their home games at ARCO Aren ...

ended the Sparks' run in the first round of the 2004 WNBA Playoffs, Cooper took a job as an assistant coach under Jeff Bzdelik with the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...

. After 24 games, Bzedlik was fired, and Cooper was named the Nuggets' interim head coach. He remained interim head coach until

George Karl George Matthew Karl (born May 12, 1951) is an American former professional basketball coach and player. After spending five years as a player for the San Antonio Spurs, he became an assistant with the team before being appointed as a head coach ...

was brought in to coach the team about a month later and served as a scout for the Nuggets the remainder of the season.

Albuquerque Thunderbirds (2005–2007)

Cooper was the head coach of the

for three years (2005–07). In 2007, he left the Thunderbirds after coaching them to the National Basketball Association D- League Championship in 2006.

Return to Sparks (2007–2009)

Cooper then returned to coaching in the WNBA as head coach of the Los Angeles Sparks.

USC Trojans' women's basketball team (2009–2013)

In May 2009, Cooper was named head coach of the University of Southern California's Women of Troy Basketball Team. He quit in 2013 after USC went 11–20 and finished seventh in the

Pac-12 Conference The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the Western United States. It participates at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I level for all sports, and its Co ...

with a 7–11 record. He was 72–57 overall at USC.

Atlanta Dream (2014–2017)

In November 2013, Cooper was hired by the

Atlanta Dream The Atlanta Dream are an American professional basketball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Dream compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded for the ...

as head coach. His contract was not renewed by Atlanta after an 11–22 season in 2017.

Chadwick (2019–2021)

In 2018, Cooper signed on to coach 3's Company of the Big3 League. In 2019, Cooper was named the boys varsity coach at

Chadwick School Chadwick School is a nonsectarian independent K-12 day school located in an unincorporated area on the Palos Verdes Peninsula in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Specifically it is located at the top of the neighborhood referred to ...

in the

Palos Verdes Peninsula The Palos Verdes Peninsula () is a peninsular subregion of the Los Angeles metropolitan area, located within southwestern Los Angeles County, California. It is often called simply "Palos Verdes", and is made up of a group of cities in the Palos ...

Los Angeles County Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles and sometimes abbreviated as LA County, is the most populous county in the United States, with 9,663,345 residents estimated in 2023. Its population is greater than that of 40 individua ...

Culver City (2021–2023)

Cooper became the head coach at

on September 8, 2021.

California State University, Los Angeles

Cooper became an assistant head coach of men's basketball at Cal State, LA in 2023.

Head coaching record

NBA

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Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

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WNBA

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2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

, 32, , 28, , 4, , , , align="center", 1st in Western, , , 4, , 2, , 2, , , style="text-align:center;", Lost in Conference Finals , - ! style="background:#FDE910;" , style="text-align:left;",

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2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

, 32, , 28, , 4, , , , align="center", 1st in Western, , , 7, , 6, , 1, , , style="text-align:center;", Won

WNBA Championship The WNBA Finals is the championship series of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and the conclusion of the league's postseason each fall. The series was named the WNBA Championship until 2002. The series is played between the win ...

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2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

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2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

, 34, , 24, , 10, , , , align="center", 1st in Western, , , 9, , 5, , 4, , , style="text-align:center;", Lost

WNBA Finals The WNBA Finals is the championship series of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and the conclusion of the league's postseason each fall. The series was named the WNBA Championship until 2002. The series is played between the win ...

, - , - , style="text-align:left;",

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2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

, 20, , 14, , 6, , , , align="center", (resigned), , , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", — , - , style="text-align:left;",

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2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

, 34, , 10, , 24, , , , align="center", 6th in Western, , , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", — , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;",

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

, 34, , 20, , 14, , , , align="center", 3rd in Western, , , 6, , 3, , 3, , , style="text-align:center;", Lost in Conference Finals , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;",

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

, 34, , 18, , 16, , , , align="center", 3rd in Western, , , 6, , 3, , 3, , , style="text-align:center;", Lost in Conference Finals , - , style="text-align:left;",

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

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2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

, 34, , 19, , 15, , , , align="center", 1st in Eastern, , , 3, , 1, , 2, , , style="text-align:center;", Lost First Round , - , style="text-align:left;",

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2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

, 34, , 15, , 19, , , , align="center", 5th in Eastern, , , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", — , - , style="text-align:left;",

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2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

, 34, , 17, , 17, , , , align="center", 4th in Eastern, , , 2, , 1, , 1, , , style="text-align:center;", Lost Second Round , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;",

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

, 34, , 12, , 22, , , , align="center", 5th in Eastern, , , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", — , - class="sortbottom" , align="center" colspan="2", Career , 388, , 230, , 158, , , , , , 43, , 27, , 16, , , ,

D-League

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Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), also known as ABQ, Burque, the Duke City, and in the past 'the Q', is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, Bernal ...

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College

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 3 , , , , 2.3 , , .500 , , , , , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.3 , , 0.0 , , 2.0 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 82 , , , , 24.1 , , .524 , , .250 , , .776 , , 2.8 , , 2.7 , , 1.0 , , 0.5 , , 8.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 81 , , , , 32.4 , , .491 , , .211 , , .785 , , 4.1 , , 4.1 , , 1.6 , , 1.0 , , 9.4 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 76 , , 14 , , 28.9 , , .517 , , .118 , , .813 , , 3.5 , , 3.0 , , 1.6 , , 0.8 , , 11.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 82 , , 3 , , 26.2 , , .535 , , .238 , , .785 , , 3.3 , , 3.8 , , 1.4 , , 0.6 , , 7.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 82 , , 9 , , 29.1 , , .497 , , .314 , , .838 , , 3.2 , , 5.9 , , 1.4 , , 0.8 , , 9.0 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 82 , , 20 , , 26.7 , , .465 , , .285 , , .865 , , 3.1 , , 5.2 , , 1.1 , , 0.6 , , 8.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 82 , , 15 , , 27.7 , , .452 , , .387 , , .865 , , 3.0 , , 5.7 , , 1.1 , , 0.5 , , 9.2 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 82 , , 2 , , 27.5 , , .438 , , .385 , , .851 , , 3.1 , , 4.5 , , 1.0 , , 0.5 , , 10.5 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 61 , , 8 , , 29.4 , , .392 , , .320 , , .858 , , 3.7 , , 4.7 , , 1.1 , , 0.4 , , 8.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 80 , , 13 , , 24.3 , , .431 , , .381 , , .871 , , 2.4 , , 3.9 , , 0.9 , , 0.4 , , 7.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 80 , , 10 , , 23.1 , , .387 , , .318 , , .883 , , 2.8 , , 2.7 , , 0.8 , , 0.5 , , 6.4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 873 , , 94 , , 27.1 , , .469 , , .340 , , .833 , , 3.2 , , 4.2 , , 1.2 , , 0.6 , , 8.9

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

† , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 16, , , , 29.0, , .407, , .000, , .861, , 3.7, , 3.6, , 1.5, , 0.7, , 9.1 , - , style="text-align:left;,

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...

, style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 3, , , , 34.0, , .550, , .000, , .714, , 3.3, , 2.3, , 2.0, , 0.0, , 10.7 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C. ...

† , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 14, , , , 27.4, , .565, , .500, , .735, , 4.4, , 4.4, , 1.7, , 0.8, , 11.9 , - , style="text-align:left;,

1983 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...

, style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 15, , , , 30.2, , .465, , .143, , .829, , 3.9, , 2.9, , 1.7, , 0.4, , 9.4 , - , style="text-align:left;,

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

, style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 21, , , , 34.4, , .461, , .333, , .806, , 3.9, , 5.7, , 1.1, , 1.0, , 11.3 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...

† , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 19, , , , 26.4, , .563, , .308, , .923, , 4.0, , 4.9, , 1.1, , 0.5, , 10.4 , - , style="text-align:left;,

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal en ...

, style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 14, , , , 30.1, , .470, , .463, , .818, , 3.3, , 4.9, , 1.3, , 0.3, , 9.7 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...

† , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 18, , , , 29.0, , .484, , .486, , .852, , 3.3, , 5.0, , 1.4, , 0.8, , 13.0 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

1988 1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the Morris worm, 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United State ...

† , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 24, , , , 24.5, , .412, , .403, , .741, , 2.4, , 2.8, , 0.8, , 0.4, , 6.4 , - , style="text-align:left;,

1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...

, style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 15, , , , 27.6, , .416, , .382, , .833, , 2.7, , 4.7, , 0.6, , 0.5, , 7.7 , - , style="text-align:left;,

1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...

, style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 9, , , , 19.2, , .286, , .250, , , , 2.7, , 2.8, , 0.8, , 0.4, , 2.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 168 , , 4 , , 28.2 , , .468 , , .392 , , .825 , , 3.4 , , 4.2 , , 1.2 , , 0.6 , , 9.4

Personal life

In July 2014, Cooper was diagnosed with early-stage tongue cancer. He had surgery at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University in Atlanta, and was able to recuperate.

References

External links

* Coaching record at basketball-reference.com
NBA
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cooper, Michael 1956 births Living people 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century American sportsmen African-American basketball coaches All-American college men's basketball players American expatriate basketball people in Italy American men's basketball players American women's basketball coaches Atlanta Dream coaches Basketball coaches from California Basketball players from Los Angeles Basketball players from Pasadena, California Big3 coaches Denver Nuggets assistant coaches Denver Nuggets head coaches Los Angeles Lakers assistant coaches Los Angeles Lakers draft picks Los Angeles Lakers players Los Angeles Sparks head coaches NBA players with retired numbers New Mexico Lobos men's basketball players Virtus Roma players Pasadena City Lancers men's basketball players Pasadena High School (California) alumni People from View Park–Windsor Hills, California Shooting guards Small forwards USC Trojans women's basketball coaches Women's National Basketball Association championship–winning head coaches

Early life

College career

Professional career

Los Angeles Lakers (1978–1990)

Pallacanestro Virtus Roma (1990–1991)

Coaching career

Los Angeles Lakers (1994–1997)

Los Angeles Sparks (1999–2004)

Denver Nuggets (2004–2005)

Albuquerque Thunderbirds (2005–2007)

Return to Sparks (2007–2009)

USC Trojans' women's basketball team (2009–2013)

Atlanta Dream (2014–2017)

Chadwick (2019–2021)

Culver City (2021–2023)

California State University, Los Angeles

Head coaching record

NBA

WNBA

D-League

College

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Personal life

See also

References

External links