Best moments, videos from Michael Cooper’s Hall of Fame induction

One of the unsung players of the Showtime era finally received the acclaim he deserved this weekend. After years of longing to be among the game’s greats, Cooper was embraced with his Lakers teammates surrounding him.

For those who may have missed it, here are some of the weekend’s best moments shared on social media.

Many of the weekend’s best moments came from videos shared by the members of the Showtime Lakers. Those in attendance at the weekend included Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Norm Nixon, Kurt Rambis, AC Green, Pat Riley, Mychal Thompson and Byron Scott. Unfortunately Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was unable to attend.

However, Coop’s influence in basketball wasn’t just limited to the Lakers. Cooper coached in the WNBA for twelve seasons, eight of them in Los Angeles. He ranks seventh all-time in head coach wins in league history.

Sparks legend and fellow Hall of Famer Lisa Leslie was coached by Cooper from 2000 to 2009. Together the two won two WNBA titles.

Cooper was introduced by his former head coach Pat Riley, his teammate Magic Johnson and Sparks legend Lisa Leslie, whom he coached to two titles.

The highlight was his speech, excerpts of which were shared by the Lakers and the NBA. Cooper told the story of his basketball career leading up to the NBA and also thanked the high school coach who cut him twice.

He also thanked the late Jerry West, who selected him in the 1978 NBA draft.

His full speech is available on the NBA’s YouTube channel.

Coop is now officially a member of the Hall of Fame!

The next ceremony for Cooper will be Jan. 13, when the Lakers will retire his jersey. Hopefully the celebrations will be just as memorable, with a host of legends in attendance to celebrate the long-deserved honor.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.