Superstars get all of the attention, but without major contributions from role players, championships can’t be won. The Los Angeles Lakers have a long line of role players who were absolutely crucial to their success and one of the most important was Michael Cooper.
Cooper was one of the best perimeter defenders of his era and helped the ‘Showtime’ Lakers win five NBA Championships in the 1980s. He will finally be recognized at the highest level of basketball as he will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
This is an accomplishment that Cooper never thought was coming and, in a recent interview with Marc J. Spears of Andscape, he admitted that he thought it was an April Fools joke when he got the call:
“I’ve always played this game for the love of the game. And after 12 years, the accolades that come with it, I never, ever, ever thought that my footsteps would be standing at the door of the Hall of Fame,” Cooper said. “So, I knew the call was going to be coming, and it came at about 9:10 that morning. I had been on the ballot two years, and I got that call [previously], and I’m waiting, and I was really excited. And [in prior years] they said, ‘Hey, Coop … it’s not your year.’
“So, when [this] call came, I remember answering the phone, and my wife was sitting next to me and I had it on speakerphone. And I kind of like spazzed out for a minute, and they were going like, ‘Coop. Congratulations, you got in.’ I’m sitting there holding the phone and my wife [hit] me on the leg, she said, ‘Babe, you got in.’ And I’m like, ‘If this is an April Fools’ joke, this is very, very rude, you guys.’ Mr. Colangelo starts laughing and he goes, ‘No, no, Coop, you got in.’”
And with that induction also comes another honor as the Lakers will be raising his No. 21 jersey into the rafters of the Crypto.com Arena this season. Cooper admitted that he will be emotional during both ceremonies, but really looks forward to his grandchildren being able to see that jersey hanging up high:
“I’m a very emotional guy, and I really try not to show it,” Cooper said. “But the Hall of Fame, I’m going to cry because there’s some people I’m going to mention. But when I sit there and they asked me to pull that rope, and I can finally see No. 21 up there in the rafters with everybody else, it’s going to be a moment because, if you know, dying is part of living. And one day we’re all going to leave this earth.
“But the one thing that I get the opportunity to leave for my grandkids, my great grandkids — even with the advancement of these arenas changing, and pretty soon the Lakers will have to get a bigger place and all that — but you know what, whenever they change this arena, they have to put that jersey up there. And my grandkids will be able to say, ‘You know what, that’s my grandfather up there.’ ”
Both accomplishments are extremely noteworthy and well deserved. Cooper won Defensive Player of the Year in 1987 and was an 8x All-Defensive Team selection in his Lakers career. Without a doubt his grandchildren and everyone else will know what he meant to the Lakers franchise and the game of basketball.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar happy to see Lakers teammate Michael Cooper get Hall of Fame induction
Michael Cooper will be inducted into the Hall of Fame by a trio of Lakers teammates in Magic Johnson, James Worthy and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, all of whom are Hall of Famers themselves.
Abdul-Jabbar spoke on Cooper receiving this honor, believing it to be long overdue as he was so important to the success of the Lakers in the 1980s. Kareem added that Cooper did a lot of things at crucial times for the team and always did whatever he was asked to the best of his ability.
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