An NBA legend gives back

Michael Cooper may not be listed as one of the greatest basketball players of all-time. But, he certainly was one heck of a player and one thing he could do as well as anyone during his time in the NBA was defend.

Throughout his lengthy career with the Los Angeles Lakers, Cooper was named to the NBA's All-Defensive First-Team five times, the NBA's All-Defensive Second-Team three times and even was named the league's Defensive Player of the Year in 1987.

But Cooper was more than just a solid defender, he was also a champion. He played on five Lakers teams that won NBA titles, with the first coming in 1980 and others to follow in 1982, 1985, 1987 and 1988.

Yet, Cooper, who averaged 8.9 points per game throughout his 12-year NBA career, has become more than just a good player, he is now a coach and a well-respected one at that. And when he gets a chance, like he did last Friday in Rocky Boy, he likes to share his skills and knowledge of the game with youngsters who get the opportunity to participate in his camps.

"I think the camp was a great success," Cooper said after working with close to 50 local basketball players in Rocky Boy Friday. "I got a chance to pass on my message and anytime you can get kids' attention through basketball it's a good thing. I think the kids took to my message and I thought that it worked well."

Cooper's message, which he says goes far beyond basketball, is broken down into his Five D's. Cooper's Five D's stand for discipline, determination, desire, dedication and decision-making. Those are things that he believes can only help young athletes succeed in the game of basketball, while also giving them a chance to apply those same lessons to life beyond the playing field as well.

"I think as role models like people view professional basketball players, it's important for us to give back," Cooper said. "I have tried to come to Montana and do a camp at least once a year, but it's been hard with me coaching in the WNBA 'cause our season goes later, but this time of year worked out good with the kids being out of school. But I think a big thing is showing them that while basketball is important, they need to know there is life outside of basketball. That's why it's important to go to school and get good grades, so when basketball is over, they have something else they can do."

Cooper, who has coached collegiately, as an NBA assistant and in the WNBA has been involved in the game as a coach or scout dating back to 1991. After three years as an assistant to Jerry West in the Lakers' front office, he was an assistant coach for the team until 1999 when he became the head coach of the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA.

From there, Cooper got back to his winning ways as he was named the WNBA coach of the year in 2000, before leading the Sparks to back-to-back WNBA Championships in 2001 and 2002.

Cooper stayed with the Sparks until 2004, when he left the job to become an assistant coach for the Denver Nuggets. For a short time in 2004, he was the interim head coach of the Nuggets before the team hired George Karl to replace him.

Following a short stint on the sidelines in the NBA's developmental league, where he won a league title in 2006, Cooper coached the USC Women's basketball team for three seasons before returning to the WNBA to be the head coach of the Atlanta Dream in 2013, where he is still the coach.

The common denominator for Cooper over the past 30 years, no matter what, has been the game of basketball. You can tell from watching Cooper interact with players that he loves the game and loves coaching it. That is the main reason he said he tries to come to places like Montana to run the clinic like he did last Friday and while he will continue to look for opportunities to do the same in the future.

"The most rewarding part for me is watching the players get better and improve," Cooper said. "It's harder in clinics like these when you only get a day to work with them. But that's my favorite part of doing this is watching them and the enthusiasm they bring to the game."