Michael Jordan in His Prime Scared Michael Cooper: “Glad We Caught Him Early”

Michael Jordan, a phenom who shook the NBA to its core and in a lot of ways made it what it is today, did not enter the league as a GOAT. He gradually morphed into one. And as far as the Showtime Lakers side is concerned, they’re glad they only faced the tamer version of His Airness.

The Lakers dominated the 1980s, led by legends like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson, and also stars like Byron Scott, James Worthy, and Michael Cooper. They made basketball entertaining, and repped one of the most iconic cities in the world, hence earning them the name ‘showtime’. But they were also not fearless. At-least Cooper wasn’t.

In 1984, after being drafted into the league, Cooper realized Jordan was special. He wasn’t impossible to guard yet. But looking at how his career progressed thereafter, Cooper admitted that he was glad that the Showtime Lakers didn’t go up against the prime version of Jordan, that dominated the 1990s.

“People always say, how great was Michael,” Cooper began in an interview with djvlad. “Larry Bird was the toughest player I have ever had to defend against but playing against a young Michael Jordan kind of easy because I was very athletic and gifted myself…” 

“But one thing I will say about Michael,” the Lakers legend continued. “I am so glad that I never got a chance to play against him as he got older…” 

Cooper feels that when special talents understand the game, they figure out to “antidote” to almost every play designed to stop them. That “makes them difficult to guard,” Cooper added.

For Jordan, that defining switch when he made the NBA his own came in 1990, when he had a strong Chicago Bulls side in his corner that helped him defeat the Lakers. Cooper wasn’t on the team, and he (sort of) appeared glad he wasn’t. “Michael Jordan became a force that you could not deal with.” 

“I’m glad that we caught him early and we caught glimpses of him, but you [always] knew he was going to be a special player. But we didn’t know how special His Airness was going to be.” 

Well, at the time, no one really thought any team would overshadow the Showtime Lakers or their rivals, the 1980s Celtics led by Larry Bird. But Jordan did just that and brought the world’s attention to the NBA. He led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA Championship wins over the next decade, creating a dynasty centered around him.

For NBA fans, however, battles between the Showtime Lakers and Jordan’s Bulls in the Finals every year, would have been a treat. Sadly, the Lakers’ show ended before Jordan’s dominance began.