Sun Belt Player of the Year at the University of New Orleans, Cooper reached the NBA as a Golden State second-rounder in 1978 and arrived in Utah in September 1980, traded for Bernard King. His single Jazz season was one stop in a 14-year, 984-game career built on shot-blocking — he averaged 2.9 blocks for Denver in 1985-86, left that franchise as its all-time blocks leader, and reached two NBA Finals with Portland.
Cooper moved upstairs after retiring, spending nearly two decades with the Sacramento Kings and rising to vice president of basketball operations. Married to Denise, with three daughters, he suffered from kidney disease and died on April 11, 2022, at 65.
HOW HE CAME & WENTGolden State sent him to Utah for Bernard King on September 11, 1980 — a striking swap in retrospect, given what King became. On August 20, 1981 the Jazz traded Cooper and Allan Bristow to Dallas for Bill Robinzine.
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| SEASON | TEAM | G | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980–81 | UTA | 71 | 20.0 | 6.9 | 6.2 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.7 | .452 | .333 | .689 |
| JAZZ TOTAL | 1 SEASON | 71 | 20.0 | 6.9 | 6.2 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.7 | .452 | .333 | .689 |
Season by season, regular season, with this franchise only. More info: Basketball-Reference ↗ · Wikipedia ↗