The Lakers right an injustice: Michael Cooper’s No.21 will be retired

The Los Angeles Lakers have announced that they will retire Michael Cooper’s number 21 on January 13th during their regular season game against the San Antonio Spurs.

He is the 13th player to have his number hung forever from the ceiling at the Crypto.com Arena (formerly Staples Center) and the 14th franchise legend to have his name on the ceiling of the arena with commentator Chick Hearn. He is also the 14th number for the pair, 8 and 24, of Kobe Bryant.

Michael Cooper’s 12 years with the Lakers

An NBA Hall of Famer, Cooper was a vital part of the Lakers of the 1980s, the Showtime Era in Los Angeles, and the team that won five championships between 1980 and 1988. The shooting guard was chosen in the third round at No. 60 in the 1978 draft and as the seasons went by he became one of the key players in the Los Angeles team.

His defensive role was essential to the unbridled spectacle at the Staples. On the court, Cooper became one of the best attacking forces in the history of American basketball. We are talking about intangible facts, but also material ones: he was a member of the League’s first defensive team on eight occasions and the second on three occasions. In the 1986-87 season, he was named the NBA’s best defender of the year.

After his farewell to the NBA in 1990 and after 12 years, all of them in purple and gold, the Californian moved to Europe for one last season in Italy with Virtus Roma. Following his retirement from playing, Cooper went into coaching. His greatest achievements were in the WNBA, in his home, with two titles with the Los Angeles Sparks in 2001 and 2002. In 2000 he was named coach of the year in the women’s league.