Michael Cooper vs. Pat Riley Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Pat Riley and Michael Cooper that includes championships won, honors and awards obtained, regular season and playoffs stats and other data put side by side.

Who scored more points in his career? Who averaged more points in playoffs? Who won more championships? Who led the season more times? Who won more MVP awards? These questions and many more, are answered here. It includes NBA Championships, seasons, playoffs, awards, statistical data for points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and percentages.

Head-To-Head Career Comparison

Michael Cooper

vs.

Pat Riley

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Michael Cooper: 1978-79 to 1989-90
Pat Riley: 1967-68 to 1975-76

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Michael Cooper 5 Pat Riley 1

NBA Seasons Michael Cooper 12 Pat Riley 9

Playoffs Played Michael Cooper 11 Pat Riley 6

All-Star Games Michael Cooper 0 Pat Riley 0

Honors and Awards

All-Defensive 1st Team Michael Cooper 5 Pat Riley 0 *

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Michael Cooper 8 Pat Riley 0

Defensive Player of The Year Michael Cooper 1 * Pat Riley 0 *

* Notes: Finals MVP and Defensive Teams awarded since 1968-69. Defensive Player of The Year is awarded since 1982-83.

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Michael Cooper 8.9 Pat Riley 7.4

Rebounds Per Game Michael Cooper 3.2 Pat Riley 1.6

Assists Per Game Michael Cooper 4.2 Pat Riley 1.7

Steals Per Game Michael Cooper 1.2 Pat Riley 0.6 *

Blocks Per Game Michael Cooper 0.6 Pat Riley 0.1 *

Totals Stats

Total Points Michael Cooper 7,729 Pat Riley 3,906

Total Rebounds Michael Cooper 2,769 Pat Riley 855

Total Assists Michael Cooper 3,666 Pat Riley 913

Total Steals Michael Cooper 1,033 Pat Riley 112 *

Total Blocks Michael Cooper 523 Pat Riley 13 *

Total Games Michael Cooper 873 Pat Riley 528

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Michael Cooper .469 Pat Riley .414

3-Point Percentage Michael Cooper .340 * Pat Riley - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Michael Cooper .833 Pat Riley .705

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Michael Cooper 11.9 (1982) Pat Riley 11.0 (1975)

Rebounds Per Game Michael Cooper 4.1 (1981) Pat Riley 2.2 (1968)

Assists Per Game Michael Cooper 5.9 (1984) Pat Riley 2.6 (1975)

Steals Per Game Michael Cooper 1.6 (1981) Pat Riley 0.8 (1975) *

Blocks Per Game Michael Cooper 1.0 (1981) Pat Riley 0.1 (1976) *

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Michael Cooper 9.4 Pat Riley 5.7

Rebounds Per Game Michael Cooper 3.4 Pat Riley 1.5

Assists Per Game Michael Cooper 4.2 Pat Riley 1.2

Steals Per Game Michael Cooper 1.2 Pat Riley 0.4 *

Blocks Per Game Michael Cooper 0.6 Pat Riley 0.0 *

Totals Stats

Total Points Michael Cooper 1,581 Pat Riley 251

Total Rebounds Michael Cooper 574 Pat Riley 66

Total Assists Michael Cooper 703 Pat Riley 52

Total Steals Michael Cooper 203 Pat Riley 4 *

Total Blocks Michael Cooper 96 Pat Riley 0 *

Total Games Michael Cooper 168 Pat Riley 44

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Michael Cooper .468 Pat Riley .374

3-Point Percentage Michael Cooper .392 * Pat Riley - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Michael Cooper .825 Pat Riley .763

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Michael Cooper 13.0 (1987) Pat Riley 9.4 (1971)

Rebounds Per Game Michael Cooper 4.4 (1982) Pat Riley 2.2 (1969)

Assists Per Game Michael Cooper 5.7 (1984) Pat Riley 2.0 (1974)

Steals Per Game Michael Cooper 2.0 (1981) Pat Riley 0.8 (1974) *

Blocks Per Game Michael Cooper 1.0 (1984) Pat Riley 0.0 (1976) *

Notes: * Blocks and steals started to be recorded in 1973-74. Some years in this player's career don't have stats. Three-point shots were implemented in 1979-80. Some years in this player's career don't have stats. ** Three-point shots were implemented in 1979-80, this player has no data for the stat.