'Jerry Buss rewarded his sacrifice' - Pat Riley on Michael Cooper choosing to be a sixth man

Los Angeles Lakers icon Michael Cooper was finally inducted into the Hall of Fame this year. Known for his stellar defense, Coop was critical to the Showtime Lakers' title campaigns in the 1980s.

The sacrifice

Another great thing about Coop is that he did his damage coming from the bench. While most NBA players did everything they could to become starters, Michael was satisfied with his role. According to former Lakers coach Pat Riley, the 6'7" swingman was rewarded for this team-first attitude.

"Michael never was a starter," Riley said, per the Legends of Sport podcast. "Really, he was a sixth who was a starter. Jerry Buss rewarded his sacrifice because he could've started anywhere in the league, probably made a lot more money. So he paid him like a starter."

Coop reportedly made $600,000 per year with the Lakers during their peak. For comparison, James Worthy, the Purple and Gold's starting small forward, roughly had the same salary as the 1987 Defensive Player of the Year.

To an extent, Cooper was responsible for sparking the Showtime Lakers' run-and-gun style. His hard-nosed defense often led to deflections, steals, and missed shots. After a great defensive play, the ball almost always ended up with Magic Johnson, who perfectly orchestrated the fastbreak. Sometimes Johnson finished it off himself. Most of the time he dished it off to the likes of Byron Scott, Worthy, or Cooper.

A billionaire?

The five-time champion enjoyed coming off the bench. So much so that if he played in today's era, he would do it again — and still make lots of money. The five-time NBA All-Defensive First Team member knew to be successful in the NBA, one had to play his role — whether as a starter or a bench player — extraordinarily well.

"I'd almost be a billionaire!" Cooper laughed when asked in 2019 how he'd fare in today's NBA. "I can play great defense and shoot it a little bit, which is how you get paid now! Just by being a good guy, you can sit at the end of a team's bench and make a lot of money! I think I would fare well in today's NBA."

The former Lakers point guard is truly one of the greats that young ballers and prospects could learn from. He was never the star or the franchise player of his squad. But he managed to forge his name into the Hall of Fame because he knew his role and played it perfectly.