Coop: The Making of a Showtime Lakers Legend

COOP. Say the name to a Lakers fan and after a guaranteed smile, a list of superlatives is sure to follow. The GOAT of NBA perimeter defenders. Five-time NBA champion. The quintessential glue guy. The graceful and thunderous finisher on a patented “Coop-A-Loop” alley-oop from teammate Magic Johnson. But more than anything when describing Michael Cooper, the conclusion is a player who was the ultimate teammate and winner, always willing to sacrifice for the greater good to make sure Showtime was the biggest hit on the hardwood.

In COOP: The Making of a Showtime Lakers Legend, take a journey with newly minted Hall of Famer Michael Cooper back to the glitz and glamour of Los Angeles in the 1980s when Magic, Kareem, Big Game James, and Coop made the Forum the epicenter of the NBA and Hollywood nights alike, and put together one of the most dominant runs in the history of the sport. Yet while the Showtime Lakers made the fun, sun, and their epic run look easy, this conversational, candid, and joyous memoir delves deep into the hard work it took to get to the top, and the unbreakable bond they formed along the way.

Cooper also takes readers back to his humble beginnings growing up in L.A., where he persevered through a debilitating childhood injury, self-doubt on the court, and a circuitous route to the NBA to become one of the best defenders in the history of the game and an essential Showtime Laker, followed by a fruitful post-playing career as a championship WNBA coach, cherished mentor to many, and a true Lakers legend with his enshrinement to the Hall of Fame.

Michael Cooper spent the entirety of his NBA playing career with the Los Angeles Lakers, winning five NBA championships during their Showtime era. He was an eight-time selection to the NBA All-Defensive Team and was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 1987. He later coached the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks to consecutive WNBA Championships in 2001 and 2002. Cooper was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2024.

Jake Uitti is a writer for publications including Interview Magazine, Vanity Fair, American Songwriter Magazine, The Washington Post, and The Seattle Times. He is the co-author of memoirs by Muggsy Bogues and Earl Cureton.