When the Atlanta Hawks drafted Sharife Cooper in the 2021 NBA Draft, he instantly became a fan favorite. One of the reasons was because he was expected to go earlier in the draft, and many thought the Hawks got a steal. The other reason was because of his ties to Georgia, as he played high school basketball at McEachern.
With the Hawks having questions surrounding the backup point guard position, Cooper looked to may have had a chance at the spot, but once Delon Wright was traded to the Hawks and Lou Williams was re-signed, things were blurry for the rookie's first year in the league in terms of playing time.