SPRINGFIELD, MASS. — Former Los Angeles Lakers’ great and current Cal State LA associate head coach Michael Cooper is now officially a part of the best of the best.
Cooper was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Sunday night as part of a 13-member class and delivered a poignant 10-minute speech as part of a distinguished ceremony at the Springfield Symphony Hall. The induction ceremony was the centerpiece of a weekend of celebration for the newest Hall off Fame class.
“It was an awesome event, to be with so many other inductees,” Cooper said after it was all over. “I never thought this would happen because I always just played the game for the love of it.”
It did happen, though, primarily because Cooper was the best defensive player of his generation and was a key member of the “Showtime” Los Angeles Laker teams that won five NBA championships. The Lakers’ intense rivalry with the Boston Celtics helped elevate the NBA.
While Cooper was best known for his defensive prowess, he’s also widely remembered for the “Coop-A-Loop” dunks, most often on the receiving end of passes from fellow Hall of Famer Magic Johnson, who, along with Lisa Leslie and Pat Riley, were on stage with Cooper during his acceptance speech.
“Tonight has been truly extraordinary as we celebrate Michael Cooper being inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame” Cal State LA Executive Director of Athletics Dr. Daryl Gross said. “This is a prestigious honor that is incredibly rare and difficult to attain and we are immensely proud and grateful that he represents our school. We feel fortunate to have our campus graced by such legendary talent. We recently recognized Billie Jean King and now we celebrate Michael Cooper‘s remarkable achievement.”
Cooper highlighted his basketball journey, even noting that he was able to one-up Michael Jordan, who famously was cut from his high-school basketball team. Cooper pointed out that he was cut from his Pasadena High School team not once, but twice, and his early perseverance and determination fueled what would amazingly become a Hall of Fame career.
He noted he continued his career at Pasadena City College, a school he said that if it was good enough for Jesse Owens and Jackie Robinson, than it was certainly good enough for Michael Cooper. He then went on to star at New Mexico, where he caught the eye of another legendary Laker great, Jerry West.
Cooper became emotional during that part of his speech, noting how West, who passed away in June, was responsible for making him the 60th overall pick in the 1978 NBA draft. West’s faith in Cooper and his abilities was validated by Cooper’s amazing career accomplishments, an eight-time NBA All-Defensive Team honorees, including five first-team nods, the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award in 1987 and five NBA championships.
West was also part of the 2024 Hall of Fame class, becoming the first three-time inductee.
“He’s a friend and a mentor and I owe him more than he could ever understand,” Cooper said during his speech.
Following his player career, Cooper made a successful move into coaching and 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 and he was also the head coach at Culver City High School before joining Cal State LA as an assistant coach in 2023.
In Cooper’s first season with Cal State LA, the Golden Eagles enjoyed the 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 and earned the No. 1 seed and hosted the NCAA Division II West Regional for the first time
“It was an amazing night for an incredible basketball player and person,” Cal State LA head coach Jim Saia said. “It is an honor for me to work with Michael Cooper.”
When asked what advice he’d give to aspiring basketball players, Cooper had a ready-made recipe.
“I call them Coop’s five Ds of success – that’s determination, dedication, desire, discipline and decision making,” the new Hall of Fame member said. “You can implement those things in any aspect of your life.”
Cooper’s not done with the celebrations for his legendary career. In January, the Lakers will retire his No. 21 jersey
