Best moments, videos from Michael Cooper’s Hall of Fame weekend

Michael Cooper was finally properly honored as part of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2024. Here are the best moments and videos of the weekend.

One of the unsung players of the Showtime Era received his due plaudits at last this weekend. After years of yearning for his inclusion among the greats of the game, Cooper was inducted with his Lakers teammates around him.

For those who may have missed it, here are some of the best moments from the weekend, as shared on social media.

Many of the weekend's best moments came from videos shared by the members of the Showtime Lakers. The likes of Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Norm Nixon, Kurt Rambis, AC Green, Pat Riley, Mychal Thompson and Byron Scott all were in attendance over the weekend. Unfortunately, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was unable to attend.

Coop’s impact in basketball wasn’t limited to only the Lakers, though. Cooper coached in the WNBA for 12 seasons, eight of those in Los Angeles. He ranks seventh all-time in wins for head coaches in league history.

Sparks legend and fellow Hall of Famer Lisa Leslie was coached by Cooper from 2000-09. Together, the pair won a pair of WNBA titles.

Cooper was presented by his former head coach Pat Riley, his teammate Magic Johnson and Sparks legend Lisa Leslie, who he coached to two titles.

It all culminated with his speech, which the Lakers and NBA shared segments of. Cooper shared the story of his basketball career leading up to the NBA, including thanking the high school coach who cut him twice.

He also thanked the late Jerry West, who selected him in the 1978 NBA Draft.

His full speech is available on the NBA’s YouTube channel.

Officially, Coop is now a member of the Hall of Fame!

The next ceremony for Cooper will come on Jan. 13 when the Lakers retire his jersey. Hopefully, the celebrations will be just as memorable with a whole host of legends there to celebrate the long-deserved honor.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.