The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced the list of eligible candidates for the 2021 class, and Los Angeles Lakers wing Michael Cooper is among the first-time nominees.
Cooper spent the entirety of his 12-year NBA career with the Lakers, becoming a mainstay of the ‘Showtime’ era and one of the league’s better role players during that time. Cooper won five championships with the Lakers and is known as one of the best perimeter defenders of all-time.
Cooper was named to the All-Defensive First Team five times and to the Second Team another three selections. In 1987, Cooper received his biggest individual accolade being named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year, remaining one of the few perimeter players to win the award.