Mickey Cooper, 64, was shot at a Pasadena park, where he played as a childBrother Michael Cooper is known for winning five NBA titles with the LakersDailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
The brother of Los Angeles Lakers great Michael Cooper has been shot and killed in Pasadena, California.
The shooting took place in the early hours of Saturday morning. Officers responded to a local park, where a police scanner had detected gunfire. Upon arriving, the officers found a man unresponsive after suffering gunshot wounds.
Michael Cooper has since confirmed to ABC7.com that the dead man is his brother, 64-year-old Mickey.
The 67-year-old Michael told ABC7.com that the shooting location, Washington Park, is where he and Mickey often played as children.
Police are still looking for a motive and suspects, according to ABC7.com.
A defensive wizard, the elder Cooper brother graduated from Pasadena High School in 1974 before attending a nearby community college and eventually transferring to New Mexico.
He would go on to become a third-round pick by the Lakers in 1978 and quickly established himself as one of the premier perimeter defenders in the game.
In addition to winning Defensive Player of the Year in 1987, Cooper would team with Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy to win five NBA titles in the 1980s.
After his NBA career, he played one season in Italy before becoming a coach. Most notably, Michael coached the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks from 2007 until 2009.
He now coaches an LA-area high school, Culver City High.
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