LOS ANGELES (AP) — Michael Cooper spent his total profession with the Los Angeles Lakers as a defensive guard who at all times strove to assist his Showtime teammates change into stars.
When the Lakers raised Cooper’s quantity 21 to the rafters Monday evening, Cooper relished his long-awaited flip within the highlight.
The 17-time NBA champion Lakers honored Cooper throughout a halftime ceremony throughout their sport in opposition to the San Antonio Spurs, unveiling his No. 21 jersey on the Wall of Honor at their dwelling enviornment. downtown between Magic Johnson’s No. 32 and James Worthy’s No. 42.
It is a becoming place for Cooper, who served because the hard-working glue on the glamorous and thrilling groups that received 5 NBA championships within the Nineteen Eighties.
“It’s so upsetting to me, as a result of I didn’t anticipate this in any respect,” Cooper, 68, stated. “I’ve at all times performed for the love of the sport, the group and to win championships. Tonight is, to me, extra particular than the Corridor of Fame – however each are equally vital. »
Cooper remains to be very fashionable in his native Los Angeles, as evidenced by the standing ovations and serenades of “Coooooooooop” given to him all through the evening. The Lakers gave away a duplicate Cooper jersey to each fan of their downtown enviornment to their first match because the wildfires devastated the Los Angeles space.
The retirement of the quantity coincidentally occurred on an already emotional evening for the Lakers and their followers after their earlier two video games have been postponed as a consequence of catastrophic wildfires. Cooper is initially from Pasadena and in addition lived in close by Altadena, which was devastated by the fireplace originating from Eaton Canyon.
“It’s a reasonably blissful and unhappy second for me,” Cooper stated. “A variety of the monuments, a number of faculties I went to, all of that’s gone now. Tonight I’ll take pleasure in it, however with a heavy coronary heart as a result of so many individuals have misplaced a lot.
Cooper was enshrined within the Naismith Memorial Basketball Corridor of Fame final October, 33 years after his final NBA sport. The Lakers solely retire the variety of Corridor of Famers and shortly introduced that Cooper would be part of a number of the most vital gamers in basketball historical past among the many franchise’s honored gamers.
Cooper was by no means an All-Star, however he was a Nineteen Eighties model of the 3-D specialists who turned a significant a part of any twenty first century NBA group. He was chosen to the All-Defensive First Group 5 occasions and was named NBA Defensive Participant of the 12 months in 1987.
“I at all times tried to play the sport the correct approach,” Cooper stated. “It’s such a sense that individuals acknowledge it. Though I’ve at all times been a part of a group with many megastars, I’ve typically been overshadowed. Nevertheless it did not hassle me, as a result of it was nonetheless in regards to the physique of labor we have been doing and successful championships.
Cooper went on to have an extended teaching profession after leaving the Lakers, notably main the Los Angeles Sparks to 2 WNBA championships.
Cooper was joined on the court docket for the halftime ceremony by former Lakers coach Pat Riley and several other former Lakers teammates, together with Johnson, Worthy, Byron Scott, Norm Nixon, Jamaal Wilkes, Kurt Rambis and Vlade Divac .
Johnson took the mic first, calling Cooper “one of many biggest gamers to ever play the sport of basketball.”
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