View source for Michael Cooper

{{short description|American basketball player and coach (born 1956)}}
{{about|the basketball player and coach|other people with the same name}}
{{use American English|date=August 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2019}}
{{Infobox basketball biography
| name = Michael Cooper
| image = Michael Cooper (7834581) (cropped).jpg
| image_size = 
| caption = Cooper at [[Camp Lemonnier]] in 2023
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1956|04|15}}
| birth_place = [[Los Angeles, California]], U.S.
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 7
| weight_lb = 170
| high_school = [[Pasadena High School (Pasadena, California)|Pasadena]] ([[Pasadena, California]])
| college =
* [[Pasadena City College|Pasadena CC]] (1974–1976)
* [[New Mexico Lobos men's basketball|New Mexico]] (1976–1978)
| draft_year = 1978
| draft_round = 3
| draft_pick = 60
| draft_team = [[Los Angeles Lakers]]
| career_start = 1978
| career_end = 1991
| career_position = [[Shooting guard]]
| career_number = 21
| coach_start = 1994
| coach_end = 
| years1 = {{nbay|1978|start}}–{{nbay|1989|end}}
| team1 = [[Los Angeles Lakers]] 
| years2 = 1990–1991
| team2 = [[Virtus Roma]]
| cyears1 = {{nbay|1993|end}}–{{nbay|1995|end}}
| cteam1 = Los Angeles Lakers (assistant)
| cyears2 = [[1999 WNBA season|1999]]
| cteam2 = [[Los Angeles Sparks]] (assistant)
| cyears3 = [[2000 WNBA season|2000]]–[[2004 WNBA season|2004]]
| cteam3 = Los Angeles Sparks
| cyears4 = {{nbay|2004|start}}
| cteam4 = [[Denver Nuggets]] (assistant)
| cyears5 = {{nbay|2004|full=y}}
| cteam5 = Denver Nuggets (interim)
| cyears6 = [[2005–06 NBA Development League season|2005]]–[[2006–07 NBA Development League season|2007]]
| cteam6 = [[New Mexico Thunderbirds|Albuquerque Thunderbirds]]
| cyears7 = [[2007 WNBA season|2007]]–[[2009 WNBA season|2009]]
| cteam7 = Los Angeles Sparks
| cyears8 = [[2009–10 NCAA Division I women's basketball season|2009]]–[[2012–13 NCAA Division I women's basketball season|2013]]
| cteam8 = [[USC Trojans women's basketball|USC (women)]]
| cyears9 = {{wnbay|2014}}–{{wnbay|2017}}
| cteam9 = [[Atlanta Dream]]
| cyears10 = 2019–2021
| cteam10 = [[Chadwick School]]
| cyears11 = 2021–2023
| cteam11 = [[Culver City High School]]
| cyears12 = 2023
| cteam12 = [[Cal State Los Angeles Golden Eagles|Cal State L.A.]] (assistant)
| highlights = 
'''As player:'''
* 5× [[List of NBA champions|NBA champion]] ({{nbafy|1980}}, {{nbafy|1982}}, {{nbafy|1985}}, {{nbafy|1987}}, {{nbafy|1988}})
* [[NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award|NBA Defensive Player of the Year]] ([[1986–87 NBA season|1987]])
* 5×  [[NBA All-Defensive First Team]] ({{nbay|1981|end}}, {{nbay|1983|end}}, {{nbay|1984|end}}, {{nbay|1986|end}}, {{nbay|1987|end}})
* 3× [[NBA All-Defensive Second Team]] ({{nbay|1980|end}}, {{nbay|1982|end}}, {{nbay|1985|end}})
* [[Lega Basket All Star Game|Italian All-Star Game]] MVP (1991)
* First-team [[NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans|All-American]] – [[United States Basketball Writers Association|USBWA]] ([[1978 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans|1978]])
* 2× First-team All-[[Western Athletic Conference|WAC]] (1977, 1978)
* {{abbr|No.|Number}} 21 [[Los Angeles Lakers retired numbers|retired by Los Angeles Lakers]]
'''As coach:'''
* 2× [[WNBA Finals|WNBA champion]] ([[2001 WNBA Finals|2001]], [[2002 WNBA Finals|2002]])
* [[WNBA Coach of the Year Award|WNBA Coach of the Year]] ({{wnbay|2000}})
* [[List of NBA Development League champions|NBA D–League champion]] (2006)<!--
| HOF_player = michael-cooper-->
| stat1label = [[Point (basketball)|Points]]
| stat1value = 7,729 (8.9 ppg)
| stat2label = [[Assist (basketball)|Assists]]
| stat2value = 3,666 (4.2 apg)
| stat3label = [[Steal (basketball)|Steals]]
| stat3value = 1,033  (1.2 spg)
| HOF_player = michael-cooper
}}
'''Michael Jerome Cooper''' (born April 15, 1956), nicknamed "'''Coop'''", is an American [[basketball]] coach and former player. He played for the [[Los Angeles Lakers]] during his entire career in the [[National Basketball Association]] (NBA), winning five [[NBA championship]]s with the Lakers during their [[Showtime (basketball)|Showtime]] era. He was an eight-time selection to the [[NBA All-Defensive Team]], including five times on the first team. He was named the [[NBA Defensive Player of the Year]] in 1987. Cooper was inducted into the [[Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame]] in 2024.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nba.com/news/hall-of-fame-class-of-2024 |title=Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announces 13 inductees for Class of 2024 |date=April 6, 2024 |website=NBA.com |accessdate=April 6, 2024}}</ref> The Lakers [[retired number|retired]] his {{abbr|No.|Number}} 21 jersey in 2025.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2024/08/lakers-to-retire-michael-coopers-no-21-in-january.html|title=Lakers To Retire Michael Cooper's No. 21 In January|date=August 15, 2024|website=Hoops Rumors}}</ref>

As a coach, Cooper led the [[Los Angeles Sparks]] of the [[Women's National Basketball Association]] (WNBA) to two championships and the [[Albuquerque Thunderbirds]] to one [[NBA G League]] title. He has also coached in the NBA, WNBA, and the [[NBA G League|NBA Development League]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nba.com/coachfile/michael_cooper/index.html |title=Coach Bio |publisher=NBA.com/coachfile |access-date=July 12, 2008 |archive-date=November 4, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104061213/http://www.nba.com/coachfile/michael_cooper/index.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> He was the head coach for boys basketball at [[Culver City High School]] in California from 2021 to 2023. He then took an assistant coaching job for men's basketball at [[California State University, Los Angeles]].

==Early life==
Michael Jerome Cooper was born on April 15, 1956, in [[Los Angeles]], California. When he was three years old, he cut one of his knees severely, requiring 100 stitches to close. At the time the doctor said that he would never be able to walk.<ref>{{cite news|title=Injuries strengthen Lakers' bench|date=May 13, 1984|first=Bob|last=Hurt|newspaper=[[The Arizona Republic]]|page=Sports 1}}</ref> Cooper attended [[Pasadena High School (California)|Pasadena High School]], where he excelled in [[basketball]]. He graduated in 1974.

==College career==
Cooper attended [[Pasadena City College]] before transferring to the [[University of New Mexico]]. He played for the [[New Mexico Lobos men's basketball|New Mexico Lobos]] for two seasons, 1976–78,<ref>[http://www.pasadena.edu/about/history/alumni/m.cooper/mcooper.cfm Michael Cooper – Pasadena City] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080606033701/http://www.pasadena.edu/about/history/alumni/m.cooper/mcooper.cfm |date=June 6, 2008 }} pasadena.edu, July 12, 2008.</ref> and was named first team All-Western Athletic Conference. In Cooper's senior season, he was named a first-team [[NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans|All-American]] by the [[United States Basketball Writers Association]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Lobo's Cooper picked to writer' All-American team|date=March 7, 1978|work=Tucson Citizen|page=2E|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/73195397/|access-date=August 15, 2022|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Gary K.|last=Johnson|url=http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/m_basketballs_finest/2005/m_basketball_finest.pdf|title=NCAA Basketball's Finest - All-Americans|pages=198–199|date=October 2005|publisher=National Collegiate Athletic Association|access-date=August 15, 2022|archive-date=November 30, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211130222719/http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/m_basketballs_finest/2005/m_basketball_finest.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> The Lobos won the WAC title, with Cooper averaging 16.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game.

==Professional career==
===Los Angeles Lakers (1978–1990)===
Selected by the [[Los Angeles Lakers]] in the third round of the [[1978 NBA draft]] with the 60th overall pick,<ref>[http://www.basketballreference.com/draft/draftyear.htm?lg=N&yr=1978 1978 Draft] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080626112959/http://www.basketballreference.com/draft/draftyear.htm?yr=1978&lg=N |date=2008-06-26 }} basketball-reference.com, Retrieved July 12, 2008.</ref> Cooper became an integral part of their [[Showtime (basketball)|Showtime]] teams of the 1980s with his defensive skills. In a twelve-year career, he was named to the [[NBA All Defensive Team]] eight times, including five first-team selections. Until 2024, Cooper and [[Norm Van Lier]] had the most defensive selections of any player to not be inducted into the [[Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame]]. He was named a finalist in 2022 and was selected for induction into the Hall of Fame in 2024.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.startribune.com/lindsay-whalen-is-one-of-11-finalists-for-the-basketball-hall-of-fame/600148403/ | title=Lindsay Whalen is one of 11 finalists for the Basketball Hall of Fame | website=[[Star Tribune]] | access-date=February 21, 2022 | archive-date=February 21, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220221110915/https://www.startribune.com/lindsay-whalen-is-one-of-11-finalists-for-the-basketball-hall-of-fame/600148403/ | url-status=live }}</ref> He won the [[NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award]] in 1987. He, along with [[Kareem Abdul-Jabbar]] and [[Magic Johnson]], was a member of five Lakers championship teams in 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, and 1988.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nba.com/dleague/newmexico/Michael_Cooper-060124.html|title=Thunderbirds Head Coach|publisher=NBA.com/dleague|access-date=July 12, 2008}} {{Dead link|date=January 2016}}</ref>
 
At 6&nbsp;ft 7 in (2.01 m), 174&nbsp;lb (77&nbsp;kg), the rail-thin Cooper known for his knee-high socks, played shooting guard, small forward, and point guard, although his defensive assignment was usually the other team's best shooter at the 2 or 3 position. [[Larry Bird]] has said that Cooper was the best defender he faced.<ref>(February 6, 2002)[http://cgi1.usatoday.com/mchat/20020206003/tscript.htm Larry Bird Chat] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090205182637/http://cgi1.usatoday.com/mchat/20020206003/tscript.htm |date=February 5, 2009 }} accessed October 5, 2008.</ref>  For his career, Cooper averaged 8.9 points, 4.2 assists, 3.2 rebounds, 1.2 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game. A popular player among Lakers fans, home crowds were known to chant, "Coooooooop" whenever he controlled the ball, and the Lakers sometimes ran an [[alley-oop (basketball)|alley-oop]] play for him that was dubbed the "Coop-a-loop."<ref>{{cite news |last=Eded |first=Gordon |title=MICHAEL COOPER: A LAKER DEEP THREAT : Three-Pointer Is Becoming an Arc of Triumph |date=May 7, 1987 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-05-07-sp-4230-story.html |archive-date=January 29, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160129141827/http://articles.latimes.com/1987-05-07/sports/sp-4230_1_michael-cooper |url-status=live }}</ref> Leaving the team after the 1989–90 season, he was ranked among the club's all-time top 10 in three-point field goals (428), games played (873), total minutes played (23,635), steals (1033), blocked shots (523), assists (3,666), defensive rebounds (2,028), offensive rebounds (741), and free throw percentage (.833).

===Pallacanestro Virtus Roma (1990–1991)===
Cooper then played for the 1990–91 season in Italy for [[Pallacanestro Virtus Roma]] in the Italian [[Serie A (basketball)|Serie A]], averaging 15.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.9 steals, 1.8 assists, and 0.3 blocks per game.

==Coaching career==
===Los Angeles Lakers (1994–1997)===
Following Cooper's playing career, he served as Special Assistant to Lakers' general manager [[Jerry West]] for three years before joining the Lakers' coaching staff in March 1994 under [[Magic Johnson]], then with [[Del Harris]] from 1994 to 1996.

===Los Angeles Sparks (1999–2004)===
Cooper became an assistant coach of the WNBA's [[Los Angeles Sparks]] in 1999, and helped the team reach the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, with a record of 20–12.

He was named the Sparks' head coach in November 1999, and the Sparks' record quickly improved, as they finished 28–4 in their 2000 campaign.  Cooper was named the [[WNBA Coach of the Year Award|WNBA Coach of the Year]] for his efforts. The Sparks followed with consecutive [[WNBA Finals|WNBA Championships]] in 2001 and 2002, but were denied a third straight WNBA title by losing to the [[Detroit Shock]] in 2003.

===Denver Nuggets (2004–2005)===
After the [[Sacramento Monarchs]] ended the Sparks' run in the first round of the 2004 WNBA Playoffs, Cooper took a job as an assistant coach under [[Jeff Bzdelik]] with the [[Denver Nuggets]]. After 24 games, Bzedlik was fired, and Cooper was named the Nuggets' interim head coach.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.espn.com/nba/news/story?id=1954408|title=Nuggets off to 13–15 start|agency=Associated Press|work=ESPN|date=December 29, 2004|access-date=July 12, 2008|archive-date=September 22, 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050922091816/http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=1954408|url-status=live}}</ref> He remained interim head coach until [[George Karl]] was brought in to coach the team about a month later and served as a scout for the Nuggets the remainder of the season.

===Albuquerque Thunderbirds (2005–2007)===
Cooper was the head coach of the [[Albuquerque Thunderbirds]] for three years (2005–07). In 2007, he left the Thunderbirds after coaching them to the National Basketball Association D-
League Championship in 2006.

===Return to Sparks (2007–2009)===
Cooper then returned to coaching in the WNBA as head coach of the Los Angeles Sparks.

===USC Trojans' women's basketball team (2009–2013)===
In May 2009, Cooper was named head coach of the University of Southern California's Women of Troy Basketball Team.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.insidesocal.com/usc/archives/2009/05/cooper-hired.html#more|title=Cooper Hired|date=May 2009|access-date=May 1, 2009|archive-date=June 6, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090606145910/http://www.insidesocal.com/usc/archives/2009/05/cooper-hired.html#more|url-status=live}}</ref> He quit in 2013 after USC went 11–20 and finished seventh in the [[Pac-12 Conference]] with a 7–11 record. He was 72–57 overall at USC.<ref>{{cite news|title=Michael Cooper quits at USC|date=March 13, 2013|work=ESPN|agency=Associated Press|url=https://www.espn.com/los-angeles/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/9049519/michael-cooper-quits-usc-trojans-women-hoops-coach|access-date=March 14, 2013|archive-date=March 16, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130316125834/http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/9049519/michael-cooper-quits-usc-trojans-women-hoops-coach|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Atlanta Dream (2014–2017)===
In November 2013, Cooper was hired by the [[Atlanta Dream]] as head coach.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.wnba.com/dream/news/michaelcooperheadcoach112113.html |title=Atlanta Dream Name Michael Cooper Head Coach |date=November 21, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140311094037/http://www.wnba.com/dream/news/michaelcooperheadcoach112113.html |archive-date=March 11, 2014 |access-date=March 11, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> His contract was not renewed by Atlanta after an 11–22 season in 2017.

===Chadwick (2019–2021)===
In 2018, Cooper signed on to coach 3's Company of the [[Big3|Big3 League]].

In 2019, Cooper was named the boys varsity coach at [[Chadwick School]] in the [[Palos Verdes Peninsula]] of [[Los Angeles County]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://m.facebook.com/ChadwickSchool/posts/10156166592162522|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224162430/https://m.facebook.com/ChadwickSchool/posts/10156166592162522|url-status=dead|title=Log in or sign up to view|archivedate=February 24, 2021|website=m.facebook.com}}</ref>

===Culver City (2021–2023)===
Cooper became the head coach at [[Culver City High School]] on September 8, 2021.<ref>{{cite tweet|number=1435837015392600068|user=BBall_CulverHS|title=Welcome our new Head Coach Michael Cooper. We are excited to have him! Looking forward to a great season.<!-- full text of tweet that Twitter returned to the bot (excluding links) added by TweetCiteBot. This may be better truncated or may need expanding (TW limits responses to 140 characters) or case changes. --> |date=September 9, 2021}}</ref>

=== California State University, Los Angeles ===
Cooper became an assistant head coach of men's basketball at [[California State University, Los Angeles|Cal State, LA]] in 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-01-29 |title=Pasadena will retire Michael Cooper’s jersey following showdown with Arcadia for league title |url=https://www.sgvtribune.com/2024/01/29/pasadena-will-retire-michael-coopers-jersey-following-showdown-with-arcadia-for-league-title/ |access-date=2024-02-22 |website=San Gabriel Valley Tribune |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Head coaching record==

===NBA===
{{NBA coach statistics legend}}
{{NBA coach statistics start}}
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2004–05 Denver Nuggets season|Denver]]
| style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|2004}}
|14||4||10||{{Winning percentage|4|10}}|| align="center"|(interim)|||—||—||—||—
| style="text-align:center;"|—
|- class="sortbottom"
| align="center" colspan="2"|'''Career'''
|14||4||10||{{Winning percentage|4|10}}|| ||—||—||—||—||
{{s-end}}

===WNBA===
{{NBA coach statistics legend}}
{{NBA coach statistics start}}
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2000 Los Angeles Sparks season|Los Angeles]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2000 WNBA season|2000]]
|32||28||4||{{Winning percentage|28|4}}|| align="center"|1st in Western|||4||2||2||{{winning percentage|2|2}}
| style="text-align:center;"|Lost in Conference Finals
|- ! style="background:#FDE910;"
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2001 Los Angeles Sparks season|Los Angeles]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2001 WNBA season|2001]]
|32||28||4||{{Winning percentage|28|4}}|| align="center"|1st in Western|||7||6||1||{{winning percentage|6|1}}
| style="text-align:center;"|'''Won [[2001 WNBA Finals|WNBA Championship]]'''
|- ! style="background:#FDE910;"
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2002 Los Angeles Sparks season|Los Angeles]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2002 WNBA season|2002]]
|32||25||7||{{Winning percentage|25|7}}|| align="center"|1st in Western|||6||6||0||{{winning percentage|6|0}}
| style="text-align:center;"|'''Won [[2002 WNBA Finals|WNBA Championship]]'''
|- 
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2003 Los Angeles Sparks season|Los Angeles]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2003 WNBA season|2003]]
|34||24||10||{{Winning percentage|24|10}}|| align="center"|1st in Western|||9||5||4||{{winning percentage|5|4}}
| style="text-align:center;"|Lost [[2003 WNBA Finals|WNBA Finals]]
|-
|- 
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2004 Los Angeles Sparks season|Los Angeles]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2004 WNBA season|2004]]
|20||14||6||{{Winning percentage|14|6}}|| align="center"|(resigned)|||—||—||—||—
| style="text-align:center;"|—
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2007 Los Angeles Sparks season|Los Angeles]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2007 WNBA season|2007]]
|34||10||24||{{Winning percentage|10|24}}|| align="center"|6th in Western|||—||—||—||—
| style="text-align:center;"|—
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2008 Los Angeles Sparks season|Los Angeles]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2008 WNBA season|2008]]
|34||20||14||{{Winning percentage|20|14}}|| align="center"|3rd in Western|||6||3||3||{{winning percentage|3|3}}
| style="text-align:center;"|Lost in Conference Finals
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2009 Los Angeles Sparks season|Los Angeles]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2009 WNBA season|2009]]
|34||18||16||{{Winning percentage|18|16}}|| align="center"|3rd in Western|||6||3||3||{{winning percentage|3|3}}
| style="text-align:center;"|Lost in Conference Finals
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2014 Atlanta Dream season|Atlanta]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2014 WNBA season|2014]]
|34||19||15||{{Winning percentage|19|15}}|| align="center"|1st in Eastern|||3||1||2||{{winning percentage|1|2}}
| style="text-align:center;"|Lost First Round
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2015 Atlanta Dream season|Atlanta]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2015 WNBA season|2015]]
|34||15||19||{{Winning percentage|15|19}}|| align="center"|5th in Eastern|||—||—||—||—
| style="text-align:center;"|—
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2016 Atlanta Dream season|Atlanta]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2016 WNBA season|2016]]
|34||17||17||{{Winning percentage|17|17}}|| align="center"|4th in Eastern|||2||1||1||{{winning percentage|1|1}}
| style="text-align:center;"|Lost Second Round
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2017 Atlanta Dream season|Atlanta]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2017 WNBA season|2017]]
|34||12||22||{{Winning percentage|12|22}}|| align="center"|5th in Eastern|||—||—||—||—
| style="text-align:center;"|—

|- class="sortbottom"
| align="center" colspan="2"|'''Career'''
|388||230||158||{{Winning percentage|230|158}}|| ||43||27||16||{{winning percentage|27|16}}||
{{s-end}}

===D-League===
{{NBA coach statistics legend}}
{{NBA coach statistics start}}
|-! style="background:#FDE910;"
| style="text-align:left;"|[[Albuquerque Thunderbirds|Albuquerque]]
| style="text-align:left;"|2005–06
|48||26||22||{{Winning percentage|26|22}}|| align="center"|2nd|||2||2||0||{{winning percentage|2|0}}
| style="text-align:center;"|'''Won D-League Championship'''
|- 
| style="text-align:left;"|Albuquerque
| style="text-align:left;"|2006–07
|50||24||26||{{Winning percentage|24|26}}|| align="center"|3rd in Western|||1||0||1||{{winning percentage|0|1}}
| style="text-align:center;"|Lost in First Round
|- class="sortbottom"
| align="center" colspan="2"|'''Career'''
|98||50||48||{{Winning percentage|50|48}}|| ||2||2||1||{{winning percentage|2|1}}
{{s-end}}

===College===
{{CBB yearly record start | type = coach | conference = | postseason= }}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead
 | name      =[[USC Trojans women's basketball|USC Trojans]]
 | conference=[[Pac-12 Conference|Pacific-10/Pac-12 Conference]]
 | startyear =2009
 | endyear   =2013
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = 
| season       = [[2009–10 NCAA Division I women's basketball season|2009–10]]
| name         = [[2009–10 USC Trojans women's basketball team|USC]]
| overall      = 19–12
| conference   = 12–6
| confstanding = 3rd
| postseason   = 
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = 
| season       = 2010–11
| name         = USC 
| overall      = 24–13
| conference   = 10–8
| confstanding = T–4th
| postseason   = [[2011 Women's National Invitation Tournament|WNIT Runner-Up]]
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = 
| season       = 2011–12
| name         = USC 
| overall      = 18–12
| conference   = 12–6
| confstanding = 3rd
| postseason   = 
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = 
| season       = [[2012–13 NCAA Division I women's basketball season|2012–13]]
| name         = USC 
| overall      = 11–20
| conference   = 7–11
| confstanding = 7th
| postseason   = 
}}
{{CBB yearly record subtotal
| name       = USC
| overall    =  72–57
| confrecord = 41–31
}}
{{CBB yearly record end
| overall = 72–57
| legend= no
}}

==NBA career statistics==
{{NBA player statistics legend|champion=y}}

===Regular season===
{{NBA player statistics start}}
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{Nbay|1978}}
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1978–79 Los Angeles Lakers season|L.A. Lakers]]
| 3 ||  || 2.3 || .500 || ||  || 0.0 || 0.0 || 0.3 || 0.0 || 2.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"|{{Nbay|1979}}†
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1979–80 Los Angeles Lakers season|L.A. Lakers]]
| '''82''' ||  || 24.1 || .524 || .250 || .776 || 2.8 || 2.7 || 1.0 || 0.5 || 8.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{Nbay|1980}}
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1980–81 Los Angeles Lakers season|L.A. Lakers]]
| 81 ||  || '''32.4''' || .491 || .211 || .785 || '''4.1''' || 4.1 || '''1.6''' || '''1.0''' || 9.4
|-
| style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"|{{Nbay|1981}}†
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1981–82 Los Angeles Lakers season|L.A. Lakers]]
| 76 || 14 || 28.9 || .517 || .118 || .813 || 3.5 || 3.0 || '''1.6''' || 0.8 || '''11.9'''
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{Nbay|1982}}
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1982–83 Los Angeles Lakers season|L.A. Lakers]]
| '''82''' || 3 || 26.2 || '''.535''' || .238 || .785 || 3.3 || 3.8 || 1.4 || 0.6 || 7.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{Nbay|1983}}
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1983–84 Los Angeles Lakers season|L.A. Lakers]]
| '''82''' || 9 || 29.1 || .497 || .314 || .838 || 3.2 || '''5.9''' || 1.4 || 0.8 || 9.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"|{{Nbay|1984}}†
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1984–85 Los Angeles Lakers season|L.A. Lakers]]
| '''82''' || 20 || 26.7 || .465 || .285 || .865 || 3.1 || 5.2 || 1.1 || 0.6 || 8.6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{Nbay|1985}}
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1985–86 Los Angeles Lakers season|L.A. Lakers]]
| '''82''' || 15 || 27.7 || .452 || '''.387''' || .865 || 3.0 || 5.7 || 1.1 || 0.5 || 9.2
|-
| style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"|{{Nbay|1986}}†
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1986–87 Los Angeles Lakers season|L.A. Lakers]]
| '''82''' || 2 || 27.5 || .438 || .385 || .851 || 3.1 || 4.5 || 1.0 || 0.5 || 10.5
|-
| style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"|{{Nbay|1987}}†
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1987–88 Los Angeles Lakers season|L.A. Lakers]]
| 61 || 8 || 29.4 || .392 || .320 || .858 || 3.7 || 4.7 || 1.1 || 0.4 || 8.7
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{Nbay|1988}}
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1988–89 Los Angeles Lakers season|L.A. Lakers]]
| 80 || 13 || 24.3 || .431 || .381 || .871 || 2.4 || 3.9 || 0.9 || 0.4 || 7.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{Nbay|1989}}
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1989–90 Los Angeles Lakers season|L.A. Lakers]]
| 80 || 10 || 23.1 || .387 || .318 || '''.883''' || 2.8 || 2.7 || 0.8 || 0.5 || 6.4
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career
| 873 || 94 || 27.1 || .469 || .340 || .833 || 3.2 || 4.2 || 1.2 || 0.6 || 8.9
{{S-end}}

===Playoffs===
{{NBA player statistics start}}
|-
| style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"|[[1980 NBA playoffs|1980]]†
|style="text-align:left;"|[[1979–80 Los Angeles Lakers season|L.A. Lakers]]
|16|| ||29.0||.407||.000||.861||3.7||3.6||1.5||0.7||9.1
|-
| style="text-align:left;|[[1981 NBA playoffs|1981]]
|style="text-align:left;"|[[1980–81 Los Angeles Lakers season|L.A. Lakers]]
|3|| ||34.0||.550||.000||.714||3.3||2.3||'''2.0'''||0.0||10.7
|-
| style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"|[[1982 NBA playoffs|1982]]†
|style="text-align:left;"|[[1981–82 Los Angeles Lakers season|L.A. Lakers]]
|14|| ||27.4||'''.565'''||'''.500'''||.735||'''4.4'''||4.4||1.7||0.8||11.9
|-
| style="text-align:left;|[[1983 NBA playoffs|1983]]
|style="text-align:left;"|[[1982–83 Los Angeles Lakers season|L.A. Lakers]]
|15|| ||30.2||.465||.143||.829||3.9||2.9||1.7||0.4||9.4
|-
| style="text-align:left;|[[1984 NBA playoffs|1984]]
|style="text-align:left;"|[[1983–84 Los Angeles Lakers season|L.A. Lakers]]
|21|| ||'''34.4'''||.461||.333||.806||3.9||'''5.7'''||1.1||'''1.0'''||11.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"|[[1985 NBA playoffs|1985]]†
|style="text-align:left;"|[[1984–85 Los Angeles Lakers season|L.A. Lakers]]
|19|| ||26.4||.563||.308||'''.923'''||4.0||4.9||1.1||0.5||10.4
|-
| style="text-align:left;|[[1986 NBA playoffs|1986]]
|style="text-align:left;"|[[1985–86 Los Angeles Lakers season|L.A. Lakers]]
|14|| ||30.1||.470||.463||.818||3.3||4.9||1.3||0.3||9.7
|-
| style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"|[[1987 NBA playoffs|1987]]†
|style="text-align:left;"|[[1986–87 Los Angeles Lakers season|L.A. Lakers]]
|18|| ||29.0||.484||.486||.852||3.3||5.0||1.4||0.8||'''13.0'''
|-
| style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"|[[1988 NBA playoffs|1988]]†
|style="text-align:left;"|[[1987–88 Los Angeles Lakers season|L.A. Lakers]]
|'''24'''|| ||24.5||.412||.403||.741||2.4||2.8||0.8||0.4||6.4
|-
| style="text-align:left;|[[1989 NBA playoffs|1989]]
|style="text-align:left;"|[[1988–89 Los Angeles Lakers season|L.A. Lakers]]
|15|| ||27.6||.416||.382||.833||2.7||4.7||0.6||0.5||7.7
|-
| style="text-align:left;|[[1990 NBA playoffs|1990]]
|style="text-align:left;"|[[1989–90 Los Angeles Lakers season|L.A. Lakers]]
|9|| ||19.2||.286||.250|| ||2.7||2.8||0.8||0.4||2.6
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career
| 168 || 4 || 28.2 || .468 || .392 || .825 || 3.4 || 4.2 || 1.2 || 0.6 || 9.4
{{S-end}}

==Personal life==
In July 2014, Cooper was diagnosed with early-stage tongue cancer. He had surgery at [[Winship Cancer Institute]] of Emory University in Atlanta,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/11243946/atlanta-dream-coach-michael-cooper-tongue-cancer |title=Michael Cooper has tongue cancer |date=July 21, 2014 |website=ESPN |access-date=January 14, 2025}}</ref> and was able to recuperate.

==See also==
{{Portal bar|Basketball|Biography|Sports}}
* [[List of NBA players who have spent their entire career with one franchise]]

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Michael Cooper (basketball)}}
{{basketballstats}}
* Coaching record at basketball-reference.com: [https://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/coopemi01c.html NBA], [https://www.basketball-reference.com/wnba/coaches/coopemi99w.html WNBA]

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Cooper, Michael}}
[[Category:1956 births]]
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