Double emotion this night at the Crypto.com Arena with the tribute to the victims of the fires, but also the retirement of the jersey Michael Cooper. Less known than Magic Johnson, Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy, Cooper was nevertheless a major element of the “Show Time” period, and his number 21 joined those of his teammates on the ceiling of the room. Before that, his jersey had been placed on every seat in the room!
“I always tried to play the right way”reacted 'Coop', now 68 years old. “It’s so gratifying that people recognize it. Although I have always been on teams with many megastars, I have sometimes been overshadowed. But that never bothered me, because the important thing was always the collective work we did and winning championships. »
At his side, his family, but also Pat Riley who had left his Heat to attend the ceremony, surrounded by Magic Johnson, Worthy, Byron Scott, Norm Nixon, Jamaal Wilkes, Kurt Rambis and Vlade Divac. Everyone was aware that they were experiencing a unique ceremony, due to the dramatic events that have hit the city over the past ten days.
Never All-Star
“It’s both a happy and sad moment for me,” Cooper admitted. “A lot of the landmarks, a few colleges I went to, all of that is gone now. Tonight I will enjoy it, but with a heavy heart, because so many people have lost so much. »
Entered the Hall Of Fame three months ago, Cooper has five NBA championship titles, a best defender trophy, five selections in the best defensive five, but also two WNBA titles as coach of the Sparks. A true Los Angeles legend, even if he was never an All-Star.
“It’s so upsetting to me, because I totally didn’t expect it.”concludes Cooper. “I have always played for the love of the game, for the team and to win titles. Tonight is, to me, even more special than the Hall of Fame — but both are equally important. »
