The Los Angeles Lakers will celebrate Michael Cooper during the 2024-25 NBA season by retiring his No. 21 jersey on January 13, 2025, when they play the San Antonio Spurs.
Cooper, who is now 68 years old, was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2024. He played as a shooting guard for the Lakers throughout his entire 12-year career after being picked 60th overall in the 1978 draft.
In his career spanning over 873 regular-season games with the Lakers, Cooper averaged stats like 8.9 points per game and had a shooting percentage of nearly 47%. He also made significant contributions with assists and steals.
Honoring a Defensive Specialist
The Lakers tweeted: “5x Champion. Defensive specialist. Showtime Coooooop.” They announced that on January 13th, Michael Cooper’s jersey would be raised among other Laker greats.
5x Champion. Defensive specialist. Showtime Coooooop.
1/13/25 – We raise Michael Cooper’s jersey into the rafters amongst the Laker greats.
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers)
Cooper was known for his defensive prowess, earning eight NBA All-Defensive Team selections—five times on the first team and three times on the second team. His efforts helped Los Angeles win five NBA championships during his tenure.
Until he was inducted in 2024, both Cooper and Norm Van Lier held records for most defensive selections without being in the Hall of Fame. Fun fact: Cooper also competed in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest back in ’84!
Michael Cooper Joins Elite Company
When it comes to assists and steals within Lakers’ history, Cooper ranks fifth with impressive numbers—3,666 assists and over a thousand steals! Although not making it to top rankings for blocks or points scored, he showed remarkable consistency by playing every game across multiple seasons.
One memorable performance came on February 7th,1982 against Boston Celtics where he scored a career-high of 31 points! Larry Bird once said that Cooper was the best defender he ever faced—a huge compliment from such an iconic player.
During the ’86-’87 season, Cooper won NBA Defensive Player of The Year while averaging solid stats across all major categories including points and rebounds per game.
We fans love how dedicated players like him leave lasting legacies!
Joining legends like Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson among others whose jerseys have been retired by Lakers is no small feat; it’s an honor well-deserved by Michael Cooper.
His jersey retirement will happen just before NBA All-Star Weekend scheduled from February14-16 at Chase Center in San Francisco next year—the event marking its final national broadcast by TNT after consecutive years since its inception
