Michael Cooper shares wife's uncanny suggestion of making Larry Bird his HOF presenter: "When it is all over with, we're all human"

bird-coop

Legendary Los Angeles Lakers defensive stopper Michael Cooper finally got his due respect after being selected to the 2024 Basketball Hall of Fame class. The next step for Coop is figuring out who will present him with that honor.

After learning about it, the eight-time All-Defensive team member was overwhelmed and surprised. When he spoke on the “Showtime with Coop” podcast, he shared a funny story about a conversation he had with his wife about Larry Bird being his potential presenter.

“That would be so ironic. Him saying I was the best he ever played with. I’m saying he’s the best I played against. Larry would get up there with me. But that would be so weird,” the five-time NBA champion said.

Cooper was referring to the compliment Bird gave him of Michael being the player that defended him best. It was a recognition that the former Laker guard says he cherishes the most.

Cooper irked a lot of players

During his prime, it was Coop’s duty to try and shut down the best players of opposing teams. Larry Legend is among the top names on that list. That matchup was one of the memorable highlights each time the Lakers battled the Boston Celtics in the 1980s.

From 1980 to 1988, Cooper held his own among the Lakers greats. Aside from being a defensive anchor, Michael did his share on offense. Cooper owns a 50% shooting clip from the field in his career. The former New Mexico Lobo also had his share of three-point attempts, averaging nearly 30% from 1984 to 1990.

We’re all humans in the end

However, as the 6-foot-7 guard pointed out, rivalries are normal in the NBA. At the end of the day, what happens on the basketball court stays on the basketball court.

“That’s the beauty of basketball, especially in the NBA. We have rivalries, we go at each other hard. But you know what? You grow up to appreciate, respect, and love the guy. When it is all over with, we’re all human,” the 60th overall pick of the 1978 NBA Draft quipped.

Despite the infamous Celtics-Lakers rivalry, it would be amazing for both sides to see Larry induct Cooper into the Hall-of-Fame and show how the brotherhood is much bigger than pure basketball.