Michael Cooper on Guarding Larry Bird, Kobe’s Draft Workout, 80’s Players Getting Disrespected

Lakers legend Michael Cooper joins All The Smoke for a walk down memory lane that reveals untold stories behind one of basketball's most celebrated defensive titans. The newly inducted Hall of Famer breaks down his incredible journey from junior college underdog to becoming the ultimate "Larry Bird stopper" during the iconic Showtime Lakers era. Cooper pulls back the curtain on his legendary defensive prowess—a career that earned him Defensive Player of the Year in 1987 and eight All-NBA Defensive team selections. Matt and Stak get Cooper to open up about his remarkable transformation from NBA player to successful WNBA coach, sharing intimate stories about basketball royalty like Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Lisa Leslie, Kobe Bryant, and more. From guarding the game's most challenging opponents to navigating the competitive landscape of professional basketball, Cooper delivers raw, unfiltered insights that only a true basketball icon can provide. Check out StockX.com - the real-time marketplace of the culture’s hottest brands https://get.aspr.app/SHuo3 Don’t miss out on all the action this week at DraftKings! Download the DraftKings app today! Sign-up using https://dkng.co/fights or through my promo code SMOKE. #MichaelCooper #Lakers #AllTheSmoke #DefensivePlayerOfTheYear #ShowtimeLakers #BasketballLegends #WNBA #KobeBryant #MagicJohnson #LarryBird #nba (00:00:00) - Intro (00:02:10) - Guarding Larry Bird (00:05:35) - Today's Players Not Respecting Older Generations (00:09:05) - Growing Up In LA and Joining Lakers (00:11:30) - Junior College to NBA Route (00:16:15) - Rookie Season with Kareem, Jerry West (00:17:54) - Magic Johnson (00:20:30) - Forum Club (00:24:00) - Winning Time (00:25:00) - Jerry West, Pat Riley takeover (00:32:15) - Coop-A-Loop (00:34:00) - Magic's leadership (00:38:20) - Iconic Nike AF1 Advertisement (00:40:20) - Lakers vs. Celtics 80s Rivalry (00:45:05) - 1987 DPOY, MJ's Response (00:46:30) - Coaching (00:48:15) - Kobe Pre-Draft Workout Story (00:49:50) - Winning 2 WNBA Title w/ Sparks (00:51:50) - Lisa Leslie (00:59:12) - Cancer Scare (01:01:30) - Coaching in BIG 3 (01:04:30) - Quick Hitters (01:09:58) - END Listen on Apple podcasts: All The Smoke - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-the-smoke/id1483638752 KG Certified - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kg-certified/id1681173392 BULLY BALL - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bully-ball-with-rachel-nichols-demarcus-cousins/id1715205016 Forgotten Seasons - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/forgotten-seasons/id1572299955 Morning Kombat - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/morning-kombat-with-luke-thomas-and-brian-campbell/id1471183444 Listen on Spotify podcasts: All The Smoke - https://open.spotify.com/show/3Cdge5G5apw1LsC8jGcl4j KG Certified - https://open.spotify.com/show/6prbJx4Jxhk00P9d6B9szd BULLY BALL - https://open.spotify.com/show/40E66eARk2t5TaxbppnQHK Forgotten Seasons - https://open.spotify.com/show/5hgAmM5QZhuvl695KCD7xo Morning Kombat - https://open.spotify.com/show/6UidjqtJTs7yX2p3lFNwBX Instagram: All The Smoke - instagram.com/allthesmoke All The Smoke Productions - instagram.com/allthesmoke.productions KG Certified - https://www.instagram.com/kgcertified/ Truth Lounge - https://www.instagram.com/truthloungeshow/?hl=en Forgotten Seasons - https://www.instagram.com/forgottenseasonsnba/ Morning Kombat - https://www.instagram.com/morningkombat/ ATS Fight - https://www.instagram.com/atsfight/ ATS Boxing - https://www.instagram.com/atsboxing/ Tik Tok: All The Smoke Productions - https://www.tiktok.com/@allthesmokeproductions Morning Kombat - https://www.tiktok.com/@morningkombat ATS Boxing - https://www.tiktok.com/@atsboxing KG Certified - https://www.tiktok.com/@kg Forgotten Seasons - https://www.tiktok.com/@forgottenseasonsnba X: All The Smoke Production - https://x.com/allthesmokeprod Morning Kombat - https://x.com/morningkombat ATS Fight - https://x.com/ats_fight ATS Boxing - https://x.com/atsboxing KG Certified - https://x.com/KevinGarnett5KG Forgotten Seasons - https://x.com/FSNBA_