Showtime Laker Michael Cooper’s Hall of Fame Induction: How to Watch

Cooper will be enshrined this weekend.

MPS-Imagn Images

Former Los Angeles Lakers guard Michael Cooper will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Sunday, Oct. 13, 34 years after his NBA playing career ended. Cooper, who won five NBA championships as part of the 'Showtime Lakers,' is one of four players in the Class of 2024 Hall of Fame.

How to Watch

The Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony will air on NBA TV. The ceremony will also be available to stream on the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame's YouTube channel — @Officialhoopshall. The Class of 2024 will take part in events on Saturday, Oct. 12 and Sunday, Oct. 13, but the official ceremony will take place on Oct. 13 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Springfield, Massachusetts.

The enshrinement ceremony was originally set to take place in August but was postponed to October in large part because of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

How Cooper Made it to the Hall of Fame

The No. 60 overall pick in the 1978 NBA draft, Cooper spent his entire NBA career with the Lakers from 1978-90. He helped the Showtime Lakers win five NBA championships in the 1980s, playing a pivotal role in these titles behind Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Cooper was largely known for his defense and even won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 1987. Boston Celtics Hall of Famer Larry Bird even referred to Cooper as the best defender he ever faced. Cooper was named NBA All-Defensive First Team five times over his career and to the second team three separate times. He averaged 8.9 points, 4.2 assists, and 3.2 rebounds per game.

After leaving the NBA, Cooper played one year of basketball in Italy before turning to coaching. He worked as an assistant coach for the Lakers from 1994-96, before joining the Los Angeles Sparks. Cooper led the Sparks to two WNBA championships as head coach of the team.

Who Else is Part of the Class of 2024?

Cooper is one of 13 members of the Class of 2024. He joins Chauncey Billups, Vince Young, Walter Davis, Bo Ryan, Charles Smith, Seimone Augustus, Dick Barnett, Harley Redin, Michele Timms, Doug Collins, Jerry West, and Herb Simon in the Class of 2024. This is West's third induction into the Hall of Fame, entering this class as an executive.

More Lakers:

Former Lakers Forward Hoping For LeBron James, Steph Curry NBA Team-Up