Showtime Lakers star Michael Cooper and his wife, Yvonne Cooper, were all smiles as the former player and coach’s jersey was raised to the rafters at Crypto.com Arena. The ceremony on January 13, 2025, happened during halftime of the game between the Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs.
A 60th overall pick in the 1978 NBA Draft, Cooper played his entire 13-year NBA career with the Lakers.
He lifted the Larry O’Brien trophy five times and was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 1987.
Cooper also made the NBA All-Defensive First Team five times and Second Team three times.
He was named a Hall of Fame finalist in 2021 and 2022 before being enshrined in 2024.
Speaking to the Lakers media, Cooper said he never expected this to happen.
The five-time NBA Champion said he played the game because he loved it, for his team, and to win championships.
The Lakers legend shared this moment with his former teammates Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Byron Scott, Vlade Divac, and Kurt Rambis. Former Lakers coach Pat Riley was also present.
As much as Michael was happy seeing his former teammates and coach present for the special occasion, he couldn’t wipe the smile off his face as he saw his wife, Yvonne Cooper, stand proud with their son, Nils Cooper.
In the last few minutes of his speech, Michael Cooper thanked his wife, Yvonne, for her contribution and for making his transition from player-coach to coach-husband easier.
Michael Cooper’s Wife, Yvonne Cooper Has Swedish Roots
Yvonne Cooper is the former NBA player Michael Cooper’s second wife.
Though it isn’t known when Michael tied the knot with Yvonne, the former has shared an anniversary post for his wife on his Facebook handle.
In September 2024, Michael shared a video of him and Yvonne at Earth, Wind & Fire’s concert and wrote they were Yvonne’s favorite band.
Michael’s better half, Yvonne Cooper has an MBA from Pepperdine Graziadio Business School.
From the early 90s until the mid-2000s, Yvonne worked as an Executive Director of Marketing and Brand Planning for Sony Pictures Entertainment.
After leaving Sony, Yvonne became the Director/Senior Brand Marketing Manager of Coca-Cola.
In recent years, Yvonne has worked in the same position for various companies, including Fairplex and XPrize.
Her last employment came with Bradshaw International in 2023.
In 2020, Yvonne shared a photo of her from Sweden and captioned the post, “Nice autumn day in Gavle, Sweden! I miss experiencing four seasons sometimes.”
But this isn’t the only reason we believe Yvonne has Swedish roots.
Her and Michael’s son, Nils Cooper, as per his UC Davis bio, has represented the Swedish U18 Youth National Team.
Previously, Nils committed to play basketball at Pepperdine University but transferred to UC Davis after his freshman year.
In his freshman year at Pepperdine in 2023, Nils averaged five points and 2.8 rebounds.
He is available on Instagram and occasionally shares posts from his basketball games and practice sessions.
Michael Cooper Was Previously Married To Wanda Juzang Cooper
Before tying the knot with Yvonne, the NBA legend was married to Wanda Juzang Cooper, who still goes by the last name Cooper to date.
Previously, in 2014, American sportswriter Jeff Pearlman shared stories about Wanda in his book Showtime.
In an interview, Pearlman was asked who he enjoyed talking to the most while putting together the book.
The writer replied, “As strange as this might sound, I’d have to say I have three-Linda Rambis, Jeanie Buss, and Wanda Cooper.”
Pearlman didn’t put his readers in the dark and gave his reasons. He said Wanda was one of the most unique and special people he had ever met.
Jeff said that though Wanda was from New Mexico, her bluntness was similar to that of a New Yorker.
On his website, Jeff Pearlman has shared an interview he conducted with Wanda before the publication of his book.
In the 2014 interview, Wanda revealed that she met Michael at the University of New Mexico, and the two tied the knot a year into their relationship.
She shared that they divorced 33 years after their wedding but still have an amicable relationship.
The former couple share two kids- Michael Cooper Jr and Simone Cooper.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- In 1994, the police arrested Michael Cooper for battery and assault on his former wife, Wanda Cooper. The reports said a Corrales, N.M. police officer saw Cooper pull his wife, Wanda, off a bed by her ankle and raise his fist toward her before being restrained.
- Michael Cooper has worked with two WNBA teams- Los Angeles Sparks and Atlanta Dream. He won two WNBA Championship as a head coach with the Sparks in 2001 and 2002.
