Longtime NBA center Wayne Cooper, who scored 7,777 points in 984 games with five teams, died Monday. He was 65.
Cooper played 14 seasons spanning three decades in the league from 1978-92, averaging 7.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.6 blocked shots with the Golden State Warriors, Utah Jazz, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets and Portland Trail Blazers.
“We are saddened to hear of the passing of a great Nugget, teammate, and person, Wayne Cooper,” the Nuggets tweeted Monday night. “He will be sorely missed, and our thoughts are with his family at this time.”
The 6-foot-10 Cooper was drafted in the second round by Golden State in 1978 out of the University of New Orleans, where he was the Sun Belt Player of the Year in 1977-78.
Cooper’s teams reached the playoffs in 10 of his 14 seasons, including two trips to the NBA Finals with Portland in 1990 and 1992.
He joined the Sacramento Kings’ front office after his retirement and served as their vice president of basketball operations from 1996 to 2013.
–Field Level Media
