Michael Cooper is currently the head coach of the USC Trojans women's basketball team. He became the head coach for the 2009-10 season and guided the Women of Troy to a 19-12 record.
Cooper came to USC after his second stint in the WNBA as coach of the Los Angeles Sparks. He coached the Sparks from 2000-04 and 2007-09.http://www.wnba.com/sparks/news/history.html
He is a former NBA player and played his 12-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, winning five rings.
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. Cooper was named coach of the USC women's team on May 1, 2009. http://www.usctrojans.com/blog/2009/05/cooper-named-womens-basketball-coach.html
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
Michael Cooper Featured Video
Michael Cooper may be the most underrated player in Los Angeles Lakers history, although Derek Fisher may have a voice in that argument.
Cooper, however, was the leader of the Lakers' second unit during the organization's Showtime years with Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy.
Cooper brought energy and enthusiasm off the bench and his dirty work on defense allowed the Lakers superstars to focus on their patented fast-break offense. It's not a coincidence that Cooper was part of five Lakers championship teams.
References
Fast Facts
-
Full name
Michael Jerome Cooper
-
Born
-
Birthplace
-
Nickname
Coop
-
Height
6'5"
-
Weight
170 lbs
-
Position
Guard
-
Jersey
- 21
-
High School
Pasadena, California
-
College
-
NBA Draft
1978 third round 60th pick by the Los Angeles Lakers
-
Fact:
NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 1987
-
Fact:
Received J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award in 1986
