If a 10-second YouTube sequence can encapsulate why Jack Cooley has been a fan favorite at every one of his stops across the NBA, G-League and overseas, it’s his relentless motor and ferocious hustle in the closing minutes of blowout victory on April 1, 2015.
The 6-foot-9 forward – then of the Utah Jazz – still smiles when he recounts muscling his way inside to score on a put-back off his own miss, and then sprinting the length of the court to reject a transition dunk attempt by Nuggets guard Gary Harris.
His teammates jumped off the bench in celebration, and All-Defense First Team center Rudy Gobert even gave him a well-deserved salute.