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Player profile · LAL
Michael Cooper
Michael Cooper stats, teams and career impact
#439 all-timeCareer averages · 8.9 PPG · 3.2 RPG · 4.2 APGPeak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
- Position
- Shooting guard
- Final NBA team
- Los Angeles Lakers
- Height / weight
- 6 ft 7 in (201 cm) · 170 lb (77 kg)
- Born
- April 15, 1956 (70 yrs old)
- College
- New Mexico
- NBA seasons
- 12 seasons · 1978–79 to 1989–90
Career summaryMichael Cooper was a shooting guard who played 12 NBA seasons, from 1978–79 through 1989–90.
- Career PPG
- 8.9
- Career RPG
- 3.2
- Career APG
- 4.2
- #32 in 1983–84
- #439 all-time
Best-Season Impact Rank
Career Impact Rank
Peak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
Career overview
Why Michael Cooper ranks #439 all time
Michael Cooper ranks #439 all time. Across his three best seasons, his average league finish was #44.0. His full-career value ranks #326, so longevity is a major reason he lands this high.
450+ minutes required per season
873 games · Career Value Rank #326
NBA honors8× All-Defense · DPOYContext only; honors are not model inputs.
Head to head
Compare Michael Cooper with…
Ten suggested matchups, selected from familiar debates, similar careers, and players from the same era. Compare career impact, peak seasons, and the numbers behind the result.
- Vinnie Johnson Similar career path
- John Starks Similar career path
- Don Chaney Similar career path
- Randy Smith Similar career path
- Jason Williams Similar career path
- Ricky Rubio Similar career path
- Mychal Thompson Same-era comparison
- Jim Paxson Same-era comparison
- Terry Tyler Same-era comparison
- Purvis Short Same-era comparison
Full player detailsTeam history, career shooting and sources
Full team history
- Teams
- Los Angeles Lakers
Career shooting
NBA regular season- Field goal
- 46.9%FG%
- Three-point
- 34.0%3P%
- Free throw
- 83.3%FT%
873 career games · 23,635 minutes
Sources and updateConventional stats and measurements: Basketball Reference, accessed Sep 13, 2026. hussEyquation ranking data through 2025–26. Life dates: Wikidata; conflicting dates checked against Basketball Reference, accessed Sep 17, 2026.
Traditional box score
Michael Cooper stats by season
Start with scoring and impact, then switch views for shooting or the full advanced picture. Career percentages use total makes and attempts.
Swipe for PPG · RPG · APG · Impact · Team · G · GS · MPG →
| 1989–90 | 6.4 | 2.8 | 2.7 | -1.46 | LAL | 80 | 10 | 23.1 | 38.7% | 31.8% | 88.3% | #178 | 20.0 |
| 1988–89 | 7.3 | 2.4 | 3.9 | +0.18 | LAL | 80 | 13 | 24.3 | 43.1% | 38.1% | 87.1% | #89 | 88.4 |
| 1987–88 | 8.7 | 3.7 | 4.7 | +0.01 | LAL | 61 | 8 | 29.4 | 39.2% | 32.0% | 85.8% | #94 | 74.5 |
| 1986–87 | 10.5 | 3.1 | 4.5 | +1.09 | LAL | 82 | 2 | 27.5 | 43.8% | 38.5% | 85.1% | #52 | 147.1 |
| 1985–86 | 9.2 | 3.0 | 5.7 | +0.97 | LAL | 82 | 15 | 27.7 | 45.2% | 38.7% | 86.5% | #68 | 144.3 |
| 1984–85 | 8.6 | 3.1 | 5.2 | +0.50 | LAL | 82 | 20 | 26.7 | 46.5% | 28.5% | 86.5% | #76 | 117.8 |
| 1983–84 | 9.0 | 3.2 | 5.9 | +1.97 | LAL | 82 | 9 | 29.1 | 49.7% | 31.4% | 83.8% | #32 | 204.6 |
| 1982–83 | 7.8 | 3.3 | 3.8 | +1.67 | LAL | 82 | 3 | 26.2 | 53.5% | 23.8% | 78.5% | #48 | 170.4 |
| 1981–82 | 11.9 | 3.5 | 3.0 | +1.18 | LAL | 76 | 14 | 28.9 | 51.7% | 11.8% | 81.3% | #54 | 150.1 |
| 1980–81 | 9.4 | 4.1 | 4.1 | +1.09 | LAL | 81 | 0 | 32.4 | 49.1% | 21.1% | 78.5% | #62 | 173.4 |
| 1979–80 | 8.8 | 2.8 | 2.7 | -0.79 | LAL | 82 | 0 | 24.1 | 52.4% | 25.0% | 77.6% | #132 | 51.9 |
| 1978–79 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -11.80 | LAL | 3 | 0 | 2.3 | 50.0% | — | — | — | -1.5 |
| Career | 8.9 | 3.2 | 4.2 | — | LAL | 873 | — | 27.1 | 46.9% | 34.0% | 83.3% | — | — |
Source: Basketball Reference regular-season totals, accessed Sep 13, 2026.
What these measures mean
- Era-centered box impact
- Estimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average.
- Impact Rate Rank
- The player's place among qualified players in one season.
- Value contribution / Season Value
- Completed seasons use a fixed-baseline contribution to Career Value. The live season instead uses Season Value, combining that season's impact with workload.
- Career Impact Rank
- An all-time rank weighted toward the player's best three, five, and ten seasons.
51.0 composite · lower is better
49.6 average league finish
1,341 total value
Career standing
How Michael Cooper ranks all time
These are league placements, not raw scores. Each season is judged against that season's qualified player pool.
Best in the league
Elite finishes
Upper-tier finishes
Tie-breaker across top-ten seasons
Career Composite Score51.0
Best 3, Best 5, and Best 10 average league finishes receive 50%, 30%, and 20% window weights. Missing seasons receive a replacement finish just below the player's typical qualified field. Lower is better.
- Best 3 effective weight
- 74%
- Missing-season finish
- —
- Qualified seasons
- 11
- All-time rank
- #439
Strongest seasons
Every season
Michael Cooper advanced stats by season
Era-centered box impact supports comparisons through time. Impact Rate and its rank compare players only within that season.
More advanced statsAge, minutes, impact, rank, value and data coverage
Scroll for more columns
| 1989–90Historical Defense Estimate | LAL | 33 | 80 | 1,851 | -1.46 | 38.3 | #178 | 20.0 | 42nd | Broad |
| 1988–89Historical Defense Estimate | LAL | 32 | 80 | 1,943 | +0.18 | 66.5 | #89 | 88.4 | 66th | Broad |
| 1987–88Historical Defense Estimate | LAL | 31 | 61 | 1,793 | +0.01 | 62.8 | #94 | 74.5 | 63rd | Broad |
| 1986–87Historical Defense Estimate | LAL | 30 | 82 | 2,253 | +1.09 | 80.1 | #52 | 147.1 | 79th | Broad |
| 1985–86Historical Defense Estimate | LAL | 29 | 82 | 2,269 | +0.97 | 73.6 | #68 | 144.3 | 78th | Broad |
| 1984–85Historical Defense Estimate | LAL | 28 | 82 | 2,189 | +0.50 | 70.4 | #76 | 117.8 | 72nd | Broad |
| 1983–84Historical Defense Estimate | LAL | 27 | 82 | 2,387 | +1.97 | 87.5 | #32 | 204.6 | 89th | Broad |
| 1982–83Historical Defense Estimate | LAL | 26 | 82 | 2,148 | +1.67 | 81.4 | #48 | 170.4 | 80th | Broad |
| 1981–82Historical Defense Estimate | LAL | 25 | 76 | 2,197 | +1.18 | 79.1 | #54 | 150.1 | 83rd | Broad |
| 1980–81Historical Defense Estimate | LAL | 24 | 81 | 2,625 | +1.09 | 75.4 | #62 | 173.4 | 83rd | Broad |
| 1979–80Historical Defense Estimate | LAL | 23 | 82 | 1,973 | -0.79 | 43.3 | #132 | 51.9 | 49th | Broad |
| 1978–79Historical Defense Estimate | LAL | 22 | 3 | 7 | -11.80 | — | — | -1.5 | — | Limited |
Career movement
Michael Cooper's career impact by season
Peak +1.97 in 1983–84 · 12 seasons · 23,635 minutes
The same historical box-score model is used for every season, making the career shape comparable through time. The vertical scale adapts to this player's range and always includes zero.
Era-centered box impactMinutes
Player-specific impact scaleWorkload
Career comparison
Compare the shape, not the calendar
Align by NBA experience to compare season one with season one, or by age to compare players at the same stage of life.
Michael CooperVinnie Johnson
| NBA season | Michael Cooper | Vinnie Johnson |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | -11.8 | -2.7 |
| 2 | -0.8 | 2.1 |
| 3 | 1.1 | 1.2 |
| 4 | 1.2 | 2.3 |
| 5 | 1.7 | 0.2 |
| 6 | 2.0 | 0.4 |
| 7 | 0.5 | 1.6 |
| 8 | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| 9 | 1.1 | -2.2 |
| 10 | 0.0 | 0.5 |
| 11 | 0.2 | -1.1 |
| 12 | -1.5 | -1.1 |
| 13 | Did not play | -2.2 |
NBA season number
Similar career arcs
Players with careers similar to Michael Cooper
The career-similarity score compares era-centered box impact, peak, prime, workload, career length, position, and experience-aligned trajectory. It describes career shape, not playing style, equal ability, or probability.
SG · All-Time Career #432
Vinnie Johnson
91career similarity score
96/100 closest-season score · 1983–84 ↔ 1982–83SG · All-Time Career #427John Starks
91career similarity score
98/100 closest-season score · 1983–84 ↔ 1992–93SG · All-Time Career #309Don Chaney
90career similarity score
96/100 closest-season score · 1983–84 ↔ 1972–73Impact Rate shows how strong a player was compared with everyone else that season. Season Value adds how much he played; completed player-profile rows instead show each season's fixed-baseline contribution to Career Value. Career Impact Rank rewards a high peak, a long prime, and repeated seasons near the top. Older seasons use clearly labeled estimates where the NBA did not record today's full set of statistics. Read how every ranking works →