Along with being a five-time NBA champion, Michael Cooper was an eight-time All-Defensive Team member and the 1987 Defensive Player of the Year as well. So even after he retired and returned to the Lakers as an assistant coach, Cooper was tasked with guarding Kobe Bryant during his pre-draft workout. But Cooper failed dramatically and he is ready to explain why.
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The 68-year-old joined Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson on the ‘All the Smoke’ podcast recently where he discussed his first interaction with the Black Mamba. “Imma tell you the truth. Listen, I was 41 years old, man,” Cooper told Jackson and Barnes.
“But no, that was probably, other than playing, one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. A young Kobe… And I remember, after that workout, I had never sweated that hard in my life,” the Lakers legend added.
Throughout the conversation, Cooper’s admiration and respect for Jerry West would shine through. He credited the Logo for spotting the innate talent in Bryant and revealed that their pre-draft workout left him thoroughly convinced too.
“Two things. One, his strength. As a 19-year-old, he was strong, man. I was working it down in that low post and, you know, I couldn’t push him out of there too much… With four or five dribbles, Kobe was able to maneuver his self and get to that shot. He didn’t hit every one, but he got to his spot,” Cooper revealed.
Bryant exemplified that style of play throughout his career. When he had the ball in his hands, very few defenders could stop him from getting to his spots. It’s also what helped the Black Mamba become one of the league’s greatest tough shot makers of all time.
However, according to Cooper, Kobe often gets overlooked for his contributions on the other side of the ball.
Michael Cooper believes Bryant could have won DPOY
Even after the pre-draft workout, Cooper continued assisting the Lakers through the season. During Kobe’s rookie campaign, Coop served as a mentor on more than occasion, and he recalled how their interactions gave him an insight into Bryant’s mindset as a player.
“It doesn’t take a lot to be a good defensive player, it takes the will to be a defensive player. My wish for Kobe, when he was a player, for him to have won a Defensive Player of the Year award. I think he was good enough to do that,” Cal State’s assistant coach said on ‘Byron Scott’s Fast Break’.
“But, you know what, when you got the ability of Kobe, you ain’t thinking about that. He goes back to what Bob McAdoo say — ‘My offense is my defense’. If you score on me, I’m definitely gon’ score back on you,” Cooper added about Bryant’s approach.
Naturally, the Black Mamba’s competitive spirit helped him lock in on the defensive end of the court. Even though he only averaged over 2 steals per game once in his career, Bryant was the kind of player to take it personally when an opponent scored on him.
That tenacity helped him to 12 All-Defensive team selections; the most by any guard in NBA history.
