Michael Cooper says Lakers jersey retirement ‘more special’ than Hall of Fame induction
LOS ANGELES — Michael Cooper’s induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in October was nearly three decades in the making.
And yet, after Monday night, it wasn’t even the most “special” honor Cooper has received over the last few months.
The former Lakers defensive stalwart’s No. 21 jersey was retired and raised to the rafters at Crypto.com Arena during halftime of Monday night’s game between the Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs.
“This is so overwhelming to me because I never expected this at all,” Cooper said during a news conference ahead of the game. “I’ve always played this game for the love of the game, for team and winning championships. And so [Monday night] is, to me, more special than the Hall of Fame, but both of them are equally important.”
Cooper was a third-round draft pick (60th overall) of the Lakers out of the University of New Mexico. He spent his entire 12-year NBA career (1978-90) with the Lakers.
“Because it’s Lakers,” Cooper responded when asked to explain on his previous comment. “This is hometown. The Hall of Fame is something unique in itself. And again, it’s a big cast of characters there. But this event here is about the people that you played with, you went to work with, you fought with, you prepared with, and you have love for. And I mean, I have love for all the people in the Hall of Fame, but this is a certain kind of love.”
Cooper was previously named a Hall of Fame finalist in 2021 and 2022 before being enshrined last year.
“And again, this one came out of nowhere,” Cooper said of the Lakers’ jersey retirement. “The Hall of Fame, I had been hearing a little bit if I got on the ballot, that that may happen. And eventually, you get on. So I knew there was a good possibility somewhere down the road that I would make that. But this one here … this one is really, really special because it’s about the people that loved us, enjoyed us, and cheered for us.”
But as a Los Angeles native and former Pasadena High and Pasadena City College star, Cooper said he was taking the honor with a “heavy heart” in light of the Southern California wildfires that started last week.
The Eaton fire had burned through 14,117 acres in Altadena and Pasadena as of Monday.
Monday was the Lakers’ first game since the fires started on Jan. 7 after their previous two games (Thursday vs. the Charlotte Hornets and Saturday against the Spurs) were postponed.
“It’s been kind of a happy-sad moment for me because, again, the areas that were affected … I’m from Pasadena, Altadena,” Cooper said. “And a lot of the landmarks, a couple of middle schools that I went to, those are all gone now.
“So [Monday], I’m going to enjoy it but with a heavy heart because so many people lost so many things. But again, it’s a night to enjoy and through tragedy, triumph comes sometimes. Triumph for me is having that jersey go up in the rafters. But still again, mixed emotions with that.”
Cooper was joined on court for the halftime ceremony by former Lakers coach Pat Riley and several former Lakers teammates, including Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Byron Scott, Norm Nixon, Jamaal Wilkes, Kurt Rambis and Vlade Divac.
Both Riley and Johnson spoke during the ceremony. During his remarks, Cooper thanked all of his former Lakers coaches, as well as longtime Lakers trainer Gary Vitti. He singled out Jamaal Wilkes, Worthy and Magic as three teammates who were particularly special to him, as well as the Buss family, his own family and the fans. He also spoke specifically about teammate Kareem Abdul-Jabbar during a Spectrum SportsNet interview shortly after the ceremony.
Cooper, who averaged better than 10 points per game in just two of his NBA seasons, received his honors because of his willingness to do the dirty work that not every player would or could.
Cooper was never an All-Star, but he was a 1980s version of the 3-and-D specialists that have become a vital part of any NBA team in the 21st century. The 1986-87 NBA Defensive Player of the Year, Cooper was named to eight NBA All-Defensive Teams, including being named a first-team selection five times.
Cooper, Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar were the only three players with the Lakers for all five of their NBA championships (1980, ’82, ’85, ’87-88) during the “Showtime” era.
“I’ve always tried to play the game the right way,” Cooper said. “And it’s such a good feeling that people recognize that. Although I’ve always been on the team with a lot of megastars, so sometimes I got overshadowed, but that didn’t bother me because it was about the body of work that we were putting together winning the championships. So for my turn to come to the plate, to step up here and be on the podium by myself with everybody looking is very, very good.”
Cooper is still wildly popular with fans, as evidenced by the standing ovations and serenades of “Coooooooooop” given to him throughout the night. The Lakers gave a Cooper replica jersey to every fan in attendance.