Michael Cooper vs. Cooper Flagg Season by Season Comparison
Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Cooper Flagg and Michael Cooper, from their rookie seasons to their last year played, in chronological order with awards, stats, championships and playoff performance of their teams every year.
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.
Michael Cooper played 12 years in the NBA, 11 more than Cooper Flagg, who played 1. Michael Cooper had the first of his seasons in 1978-79, while Cooper Flagg had his rookie season in 2025-26. 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 achievements, 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 |
| Michael Cooper | 12 | 11 | 1978-79 to 1989-90 |
| Cooper Flagg | 1 | 0 | 2025-26 |
Comparison Season by Season |
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Jump to season: | ||
Rookie Season |
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| Michael Cooper | Cooper Flagg | |
| Season | 1978-79 | 2025-26 |
| Team | Los Angeles Lakers | Dallas Mavericks |
| Honors & Awards | ||
| Playoffs | Did Not Play | Did Not Play |
Rookie Season Stats Comparison | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Regular Season Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| G | Min | Pts | ORb | DRb | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | TO | PF | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | ||||
| 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 | - |
| difference: | +2 | +29.7 | +8.0 | +1.0 | +9.0 | +10.0 | +0.7 | -2.7 | -2.7 | +3.0 | +11.0 | +.192 | +2.0 | +2.0 | ||||||
| Cooper Flagg | 1 | 32.0 | 10.0 | 1.0 | 9.0 | 10.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 13.0 | .308 | 0.0 | 1.0 | .000 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 1.000 |
| Playoffs Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| * Neiher Michael Cooper nor Cooper Flagg played in the postseason in their season 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Additional Years |
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* Michael Cooper played 11 seasons more than Cooper Flagg in the NBA. In that period—his seasons 2 to 12, from 1980 to 1990—Michael Cooper played in 11 Playoffs and won 5 NBA Championships. In those 11 extra years over Cooper Flagg, Michael Cooper got these achievements: | |
| Honors & Awards |  5 All-Defensive First Team 3 All-Defensive Second Team 1 Defensive Player of the Year |