NBA Hall of Famer Praises, Then Buries, Boston Celtics Star

Getty Michael Cooper of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum won an NBA championship and an Olympic gold medal in a two-month span. Through his seven NBA seasons, Tatum has solidified himself as one of the league’s biggest stars — certainly a top-10 player. He’s made five All-Star Game appearances and was named All-NBA in four seasons.

Despite winning the gold medal, Tatum had a rough go at the 2024 Paris Olympics. He didn’t see any action in two games against Serbia. He played very little in the title game against France. Head coach Steve Kerr said it was a numbers game, but sitting a star for the entirety for two games was a head scratcher.

Former Los Angeles Lakers star and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Michael Cooper said Tatum was “a hell of a player,” but the five-time NBA champion then pushed Tatum aside.

Michael Cooper Picks Pair of 1980s Stars Over Jayson Tatum

During his “Showtime With Coop” podcast, Cooper and co-hist Nick Gelso took part in a common game played by many NBA fans called “Start, Bench, or Cut.” It’s a ranking system of the three players named, and Cooper and Gelso were vastly different when the three players named were Tatum, former Lakers star James Worthy, and former Chicago Bulls star Scottie Pippen.

Gelso, a die-hard Celtics fan, said it was easy. He picked Tatum to start and then benched Worthy. Pippen was cut.

“Are you serious?” Cooper asked.

Gelso then asked for Cooper’s selections.

“I’m starting Scottie Pippen,” Cooper said, drawing laughter from his co-host. “I’m benching Worthy, and I’m cutting Tatum. You know I’m hating on the Celtics.

“Tatum’s a hell of a player. I’ve got to give him that. That’s a tough three there. All of them are good players. I love Tatum, but he’s got the wrong jersey on.”

It’s Not the First Time Cooper Has Hated on the Celtics

Cooper comes from an era when there was genuine hatred for your basketball rival. There was no bigger rivalry during the 1980s than the Celtics and the Lakers.

Cooper began his career with the Lakers during the 1978-79 season. He played all 12 of his NBA seasons with LA, winning five championships. Lakers vs. Celtics was must-see basketball in the ’80s. The teams combined for eight championships during the decade. They squared off against each other three times, with the Celtics winning in 1984, and the Lakers winning in 1985 and 1987.

The franchises entered the 2023-24 season tied for the most NBA championships in history with 17. After the Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks in five game sin the 2024 NBA Finals, the Celtics snapped that tie. Cooper admitted he was not happy with the Celtics.

“I do a show out here on ABC,” Cooper said during an earlier episode of “Showtime With Coop,” “and they call me a jinx because the team I wanted to win always lost.

“I thought I’d try some reverse psychology on the show when we got to the Finals. It was the Mavericks and the Celtics playing, and I became a Celtics fan — just for 59 minutes of the show, that’s it. Now, it wasn’t with my heart. It was more with my mouth and my presence.

“I wore a leprechaun suit. I wore a green hat, and I was rooting for the Celtics so hard. Come to find out, I’m not a jinx. The Celtics won their championship, and I’m not happy for them.”