During the 1980s, the Los Angeles Lakers were filled to the brim with big-time stars. Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar received much of the credit, but they couldn’t have been as successful as they were without Jamaal Wilkes, Norm Nixon, Bob McAdoo, James Worthy or Byron Scott, to name a few.
Michael Cooper never made an All-Star game, but he was arguably as integral to those Showtime Lakers as anyone not named Johnson or Abdul-Jabbar. He played several positions and roles in 12 seasons with L.A., and he was one of the greatest defenders ever, not to mention an excellent 3-point shooter and a very serviceable facilitator.
Since retiring from the NBA in 1990, Cooper has been a head coach at several levels for multiple teams. He has been nominated for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame multiple times, and on Thursday, he was finally voted in.
His Showtime brothers took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to congratulate him.
I don’t even know where to start! I tried to wait until Saturday…but I just can’t hold the news 😂 I’m so so thrilled that my Showtime running mate and one of my best friends Michael Cooper has been elected into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame!!
Coop is the greatest… pic.twitter.com/54K0S0znWa— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) April 5, 2024
Congratulations to the Minister of Defense, Michael Cooper – 2024 inductee to the Hall of Fame. WELL DESERVED!@ShowtimeCooper @Hoophall @nba @lakers #24HoopClass pic.twitter.com/GVFobuL6DZ
— James Worthy (@JamesWorthy42) April 4, 2024
Cooper was on all five NBA championship teams the Lakers boasted during the Showtime era. Since then, he has won titles as a coach with the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks and the G League’s Albuquerque Thunderbirds.