Member of ‘Showtime Lakers’
Former Los Angeles Lakers great Michael Cooper has been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Cooper, the assistant men’s basketball coach at Cal State LA, was a member of the famous “Showtime Lakers” who captured five NBA championships during the 1980s.
Cooper is part of a 13-member class that will be enshrined into the hall of fame on Aug. 17 in Springfield, Mass. He will be joined by Chauncey Billups, Vince Carter, Walter Davis, Bo Ryan, Charles Smith, Seimone Augustus, Dick Barnett, Harley Redin, Michele Timms, Doug Collins, Herb Simon and Jerry West, the latter the first member to be inducted as both a player and contributor.
Cooper, a Los Angeles native, played at Pasadena City College before transferring to the University of New Mexico. The Lakers selected him in the third round of the 1978 draft. Cooper spent his entire 12-year career with the Lakers and was named to eight NBA All-Defensive teams, earning first-team honors five times, and winning Defensive Player of the Year in 1987.
Following his playing career, Cooper made a successful move into coaching. He earned WNBA Coach of the Year honors in 2000 with the Los Angeles Sparks and led the team to back-to-back WNBA titles in 2001-02. He was also the head women’s coach at USC from 2009-2013 and he returned to the WNBA to coach the Atlanta Dream from 2014-17. He was also the head coach at Culver City High School before joining Cal State LA as an assistant coach in 2023.
“It’s well-deserved,” Cal State LA head men’s basketball coach Jim Saia said. “I believe he’s the best defensive player who ever played the game. I’m happy for him and his family. This is an honor that’s long overdue.”
In Cooper’s first season with Cal State LA, the Golden Eagles enjoyed their best season in program history. The Golden Eagles set a new program record with 24 wins, captured their first-ever California Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament championship, earned the No.1 seed, and hosted the NCAA Division II West Regional for the first time.
