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• Michael Cooper is currently the head coach of the Los Angeles Sparks in the WNBA. He is a former NBA player and played his 12-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers.

• Fast Facts

  1. Full name: Michael Jerome Cooper
  2. Born: April 15, 1956
  3. Birthplace: Los Angeles, California
  4. Nicknames: Mike, Coop
  5. Height: 6'5"
  6. Weight: 170 lbs
  7. Position: Guard
  8. Jersey:
     1. 21
  9. High School: Pasadena, California
  10. College: University of New Mexico
  11. NBA Draft: 1978 third round 60th pick by the Los Angeles Lakers
  12. NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 1987
  13. Received J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award in 1986

• NBA Career

  In his 12-year career as a professional basketball player for the Lakers, Cooper was named to eight NBA All-Defensive Teams and won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award in 1987. He help the Lakers to win five championships, in [[1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, and 1988. He has a career totals of 7,729 points, 523 blocks, 1,033 steals, 3,666 assists and 2,769 rebounds in 873 games.NBA.com: Michael Cooper

• Coaching Career Highlights

  Michael Cooper served as a special Assistant to Lakers' general manager Jerry West for three years from 1994 to 1997. In 1999, he became an assistant coach of the WNBA Los Angeles Sparks and became the team's head coach later that year. The Sparks became the WNBA Champions in 2001 and 2002 and Cooper earned WNBA Coach of the Year. In the 2004-2005 season, he became the assistant coach for the Denver Nuggets under Jeff Bzdelik. He was named the interim head coach until George Karl was brought to lead the team, at which point he returned to the Sparks.

• Michael Cooper Timeline

  • 1978: Drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers
  • 1978-1990: Played for the Los Angeles Lakers
  • 1994-1997: coaching staff for the Lakers
  • 1999: Assistant coach for the WNBA's Sparks
  • 2000: Named WNBA Coach of the Year
  • 2001: The Sparks won the WNBA Championships
  • 2002: WNBA Champions
  • 2004-2005: assistant coach for the Denver Nuggets
  • 2006-2007: Head coach for The Albuquerque Thunderbirds

  
  

• Related Pages on Mahalo

  Magic Johnson | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Los Angeles Lakers | Los Angeles Sparks | Jerry West | Denver Nuggets

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