Getty Jared Dudley
Less than one hour after Los Angeles Lakers free-agent signing Jared Dudley had decided on his new number, he had already agreed to change it. But this was due to the fact that one of his new teammates, Quinn Cook, was hoping to land the No. 2 which Dudley revealed he had selected on Twitter.
Cook wore the number during his time with the Duke Blue Devils but was No. 4 with the Golden State Warriors. And after Dudley announced the number on social media, Cook tweeted that he was going to choose No. 2, and the veteran forward made it known he had no issue giving it to his young teammate.
Shortly after, Cook heaped praise on Dudley for being willing to let him have the number. The 26-year-old guard called his teammate “the realest” and told him how much he appreciated it.
Man @JaredDudley619 the realest!! Appreciate you big homie! This is going to be a fun year! #Lakeshow. RiP DAD!
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Quinn Cook Shows Love to Father After Lakers Signing
As seen in the tweets above, Cook added “RiP DAD” onto his messages with Dudley. This goes back to the guard’s initial decision to sign with the Lakers, which was a tribute to his late father, Ted Cook. As Ali Thanawalla of NBC Sports revealed, the Lakers were Ted Cook’s favorite team, and the former Warriors guard posted about it on Instagram shortly after he signed.
Beyond that, as Bleacher Report revealed, Cook posted numerous photos on social media of his father repping the purple and gold along with a wild number of Lakers jerseys from his childhood.
.@QCook323‘s late dad was a huge Laker fan
Now Quinn Cook gets to wear the jersey for the team his dad loved 🙏
It’s great to see Cook have the opportunity to show some love to his father with the signing. He’s also landing in a good spot and remains with a legitimate contender after being part of a Warriors team that obviously had major success in recent years.
Quinn Cook’s Emergence With Warriors Leads to Lakers Signing
While Cook had bounced around a bit throughout his young professional career, he managed to latch on with the Warriors during the 2017-18 season. During that year, the Warriors dealt with a number of injuries which helped to thrust Cook into a larger role, as he averaged 22.4 minutes per game while posting marks of 9.5 points, 2.7 assists and 2.5 rebounds.
During his final year with the Warriors, Cook saw action in 74 games. Although his minutes dropped to 14.3 per game, he averaged 6.9 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists while showcasing an intriguing amount of upside.
Cook’s play in recent years resulted in the Lakers signing him to a two-year, $6 million deal, per Spotrac. It’s unknown what role Cook will play exactly with his new team, but there appears to be a decent chance he could log solid minutes behind Rajon Rondo. There have also been rumblings that LeBron James may start at point guard, which would really shake up the roster outlook in Los Angeles.
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