"The NBA's 1987 Defensive Player of the Year had won five rings with the 1980s Showtime Lakers, blocking shots alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and finishing Coop-a-loop passes from Magic Johnson for dunks. But in 2000, things were different. He wasn't in the game, he was coaching it from the sidelines for the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks. And despite Cooper being named coach of the year, the Sparks fell short in the playoffs to the Houston Comets."
"Cooper became the Laker's premiere sixth man, coming off the bench, sublimating his ego for the sake of wins. I felt famous, Cooper says. But I felt famous as a team. The team was very good, and people appreciated that. When I was walking down the street, if people knew basketball, they knew who I was. But they didn't see me as an individual [star] it was more the team."
Michael Cooper won five championships with the 1980s Showtime Lakers as a defensive specialist and premier sixth man, often sacrificing individual acclaim for team success. He transitioned into coaching and led the Los Angeles Sparks in 2000, earning Coach of the Year but suffering playoff defeat to the Houston Comets. The playoff loss drew public criticism that contrasted with his earlier ability to avoid intense individual scrutiny while playing alongside bigger stars like Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Fame altered the consequences of professional failures and created a complicated relationship with recognition despite Cooper's later Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame induction.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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