Mahdi Abdul-Rahman vs. Michael Cooper Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Michael Cooper and Mahdi Abdul-Rahman, from their rookie seasons to their last year played, in chronological order with awards, stats, championships and playoff performance of their teams every year.

Player comparisons:
Career comparison / Season by season

Who had the better rookie season? Who had best stats in their 10th season? Who won a championship first? These questions and many others, are answered here.

Mahdi Abdul-Rahman played 10 years in the NBA, 2 less than Michael Cooper, who played 12. Mahdi Abdul-Rahman had the first of his seasons in 1964-65, while Michael Cooper had his rookie season in 1978-79. With that starting point, here you can take a look at each of their seasons side by side and compare how their careers evolved in achivements, awards and championships won, the stats they recorded both in the Regular Season and the Playoffs and how their teams performed in the postseason.

Their Careers

Player
Total Seasons Playoffs Played NBA Years
Mahdi Abdul-Rahman 10 7 1964-65 to 1973-74
Michael Cooper 12 11 1978-79 to 1989-90

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12

Rookie Season

Mahdi Abdul-Rahman Michael Cooper
Season 1964-651978-79
Team Los Angeles LakersLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Lakers Lost NBA FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mahdi Abdul-Rahman 66 13.9 4.2 - - 1.7 2.1 - - - 2.0 1.8 4.6 .382 - - - 0.7 1.1 .648
Michael Cooper 3 2.3 2.0 0.0 0.0 0 0.0 0.3 0.0 0.3 0.3 1.0 2.0 .500 - - - 0.0 0.0 -
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mahdi Abdul-Rahman 7 16.9 7.6 - - 2.6 4.3 - - - 2.6 2.7 8.1 .333 - - - 2.1 2.9 .750
Michael Cooper ------- --- ----------

Season 2

Mahdi Abdul-Rahman Michael Cooper
Season 1965-661979-80
Team Los Angeles LakersLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Lakers Lost NBA FinalsNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mahdi Abdul-Rahman 80 27.5 13.7 - - 2.7 4.9 - - - 2.8 5.7 12.5 .457 - - - 2.3 3.2 .708
Michael Cooper 82 24.1 8.8 1.2 1.6 2.8 2.7 1.0 0.5 1.7 2.6 3.7 7.0 .524 0.1 0.2 .250 1.4 1.7 .776
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mahdi Abdul-Rahman 14 24.3 11.9 - - 2.9 3.1 - - - 2.9 5.0 10.1 .493 - - - 1.9 3.0 .619
Michael Cooper 16 29.0 9.1 1.8 1.9 3.7 3.6 1.5 0.7 1.8 3.4 3.6 8.8 .407 0.0 0.1 .000 1.9 2.3 .861

Season 3

Mahdi Abdul-Rahman Michael Cooper
Season 1966-671980-81
Team Los Angeles LakersLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Defensive Second Team
Playoffs Lakers Lost West Div SemisLakers Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mahdi Abdul-Rahman 79 20.8 9.3 - - 2.9 4.1 - - - 2.6 3.8 8.9 .426 - - - 1.6 2.2 .729
Michael Cooper 81 32.4 9.4 1.5 2.7 4.1 4.1 1.6 1.0 2.0 3.1 4.0 8.1 .491 0.0 0.2 .211 1.4 1.8 .785
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mahdi Abdul-Rahman 3 28.7 6.7 - - 2.7 5.3 - - - 3.7 2.0 8.3 .240 - - - 2.7 3.3 .800
Michael Cooper 3 34.0 10.7 0.7 2.7 3.3 2.3 2.0 0.0 2.3 2.3 3.7 6.7 .550 0.0 1.0 .000 3.3 4.7 .714

Season 4

Mahdi Abdul-Rahman Michael Cooper
Season 1967-681981-82
Team Seattle SupersonicsLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Defensive First Team
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Did Not PlayNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mahdi Abdul-Rahman 79 33.7 24.0 - - 4.2 6.2 - - - 3.1 9.3 21.0 .441 - - - 5.4 7.0 .774
Michael Cooper 76 28.9 11.9 1.1 2.4 3.5 3.0 1.6 0.8 2.0 2.8 5.0 9.8 .517 0.0 0.2 .118 1.8 2.3 .813
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mahdi Abdul-Rahman ------- --- ----------
Michael Cooper 14 27.4 11.9 1.4 3.0 4.4 4.4 1.7 0.8 2.1 3.4 5.0 8.9 .565 0.1 0.1 .500 1.8 2.4 .735

Season 5

Mahdi Abdul-Rahman Michael Cooper
Season 1968-691982-83
Team Atlanta HawksLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Defensive Second Team
Playoffs Hawks Lost West Div FinalsLakers Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mahdi Abdul-Rahman 80 30.3 11.2 - - 3.3 5.9 - - - 3.3 4.3 10.9 .397 - - - 2.6 3.7 .707
Michael Cooper 82 26.2 7.8 1.0 2.3 3.3 3.8 1.4 0.6 1.6 2.5 3.2 6.1 .535 0.1 0.3 .238 1.2 1.6 .785
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mahdi Abdul-Rahman 11 32.7 14.0 - - 3.0 3.9 - - - 3.5 4.8 12.3 .393 - - - 4.4 5.5 .787
Michael Cooper 15 30.2 9.4 0.8 3.1 3.9 2.9 1.7 0.4 1.3 3.6 3.5 7.6 .465 0.1 0.5 .143 2.3 2.7 .829

Season 6

Mahdi Abdul-Rahman Michael Cooper
Season 1969-701983-84
Team Atlanta HawksLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Defensive First Team
Playoffs Hawks Lost West Div FinalsLakers Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mahdi Abdul-Rahman 82 33.6 15.3 - - 4.0 6.8 - - - 3.2 6.0 12.9 .467 - - - 3.3 4.0 .809
Michael Cooper 82 29.1 9.0 0.6 2.5 3.2 5.9 1.4 0.8 1.8 3.3 3.3 6.7 .497 0.5 1.5 .314 1.9 2.3 .838
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mahdi Abdul-Rahman 7 36.4 21.4 - - 3.4 7.7 - - - 3.3 9.3 18.6 .500 - - - 2.9 4.6 .625
Michael Cooper 21 34.4 11.3 1.0 3.0 3.9 5.7 1.1 1.0 1.4 3.8 4.2 9.1 .461 0.6 1.7 .333 2.4 3.0 .806

Season 7

Mahdi Abdul-Rahman Michael Cooper
Season 1970-711984-85
Team Atlanta HawksLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Defensive First Team
Playoffs Hawks Lost East Conf SemisNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mahdi Abdul-Rahman 82 35.1 16.5 - - 3.7 6.3 - - - 3.4 6.3 13.7 .459 - - - 3.8 5.1 .759
Michael Cooper 82 26.7 8.6 0.7 2.4 3.1 5.2 1.1 0.6 1.9 2.5 3.4 7.2 .465 0.4 1.5 .285 1.4 1.6 .865
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mahdi Abdul-Rahman 5 40.4 14.0 - - 5.0 5.4 - - - 4.4 5.0 15.2 .329 - - - 4.0 5.0 .800
Michael Cooper 19 26.4 10.4 0.6 3.4 4.0 4.9 1.1 0.5 1.9 2.4 3.7 6.6 .563 0.4 1.4 .308 2.5 2.7 .923

Season 8

Mahdi Abdul-Rahman Michael Cooper
Season 1971-721985-86
Team Buffalo BravesLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Defensive Second Team
Playoffs Did Not PlayLakers Lost West Conf Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mahdi Abdul-Rahman 72 33.2 15.8 - - 3.0 5.6 - - - 3.2 6.3 13.9 .451 - - - 3.3 4.2 .782
Michael Cooper 82 27.7 9.2 0.5 2.4 3.0 5.7 1.1 0.5 1.8 2.9 3.3 7.4 .452 0.8 2.0 .387 1.8 2.1 .865
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mahdi Abdul-Rahman ------- --- ----------
Michael Cooper 14 30.1 9.7 1.1 2.1 3.3 4.9 1.3 0.3 1.5 1.7 3.9 8.2 .470 1.4 2.9 .463 0.6 0.8 .818

Season 9

Mahdi Abdul-Rahman Michael Cooper
Season 1972-731986-87
Team Buffalo Braves, Golden State WarriorsLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Defensive First Team
-Achievement Defensive Player of the Year
Playoffs Warriors Lost West Conf FinalsNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mahdi Abdul-Rahman 55 13.9 4.7 - - 1.6 2.3 - - - 2.0 1.9 4.7 .418 - - - 0.9 1.0 .825
Michael Cooper 82 27.5 10.5 0.7 2.4 3.1 4.5 1.0 0.5 1.2 2.4 3.9 9.0 .438 1.1 2.8 .385 1.5 1.8 .851
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mahdi Abdul-Rahman 11 19.5 6.5 - - 1.8 2.5 - - - 2.2 2.7 7.6 .357 - - - 1.1 1.1 1.000
Michael Cooper 18 29.0 13.0 0.4 2.8 3.3 5.0 1.4 0.8 2.1 2.6 4.3 8.8 .484 1.9 3.9 .486 2.6 3.0 .852

Season 10

Mahdi Abdul-Rahman Michael Cooper
Season 1973-741987-88
Team Seattle SupersonicsLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Defensive First Team
Playoffs Did Not PlayNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mahdi Abdul-Rahman 49 11.7 3.8 0.4 0.8 1.2 2.5 0.5 0.1 - 1.6 1.6 3.7 .422 - - - 0.7 0.9 .756
Michael Cooper 61 29.4 8.7 0.8 2.9 3.7 4.7 1.1 0.4 1.7 2.2 3.1 7.9 .392 0.9 2.9 .320 1.6 1.9 .858
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mahdi Abdul-Rahman ------- --- ----------
Michael Cooper 24 24.5 6.4 0.6 1.8 2.4 2.8 0.8 0.4 0.9 2.4 2.3 5.5 .412 1.0 2.6 .403 0.8 1.1 .741

Season 11

Mahdi Abdul-Rahman Michael Cooper
Season -1988-89
Team -Los Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Lakers Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mahdi Abdul-Rahman ------- --- ----------
Michael Cooper 80 24.3 7.3 0.4 2.0 2.4 3.9 0.9 0.4 1.2 2.3 2.7 6.2 .431 1.0 2.6 .381 1.0 1.2 .871
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mahdi Abdul-Rahman ------- --- ----------
Michael Cooper 15 27.6 7.7 0.6 2.1 2.7 4.7 0.6 0.5 1.1 2.5 2.5 5.9 .416 1.4 3.7 .382 1.3 1.6 .833

Season 12

Mahdi Abdul-Rahman Michael Cooper
Season -1989-90
Team -Los Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Lakers Lost West Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mahdi Abdul-Rahman ------- --- ----------
Michael Cooper 80 23.1 6.4 0.7 2.1 2.8 2.7 0.8 0.5 1.1 2.6 2.4 6.2 .387 0.6 2.0 .318 1.0 1.2 .883
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Mahdi Abdul-Rahman ------- --- ----------
Michael Cooper 9 19.2 2.6 1.2 1.4 2.7 2.8 0.8 0.4 0.8 2.3 1.1 3.9 .286 0.3 1.3 .250 0.0 0.0 -