Lakers retire Michael Cooper's No. 21 jersey on an emotional night

Michael Cooper spent his entire career with the Los Angeles Lakers as a defense-minded guard who always focused on helping his Showtime teammates to be stars.

When the Lakers raised Cooper's No. 21 to the rafters on Monday night, Cooper relished his long-awaited turn to be in the spotlight.

The 17-time NBA champion Lakers honored Cooper in a halftime ceremony during their game against the San Antonio Spurs, unveiling his No. 21 jersey on the wall of honor at their downtown arena between Magic Johnson's No. 32 and James Worthy's No. 42.

It's an appropriate position for Cooper, who served as the hardworking glue guy on the glamorous, exciting teams that won five NBA championships in the 1980s.

"This is so overwhelming to me, because I never expected this at all," the 68-year-old Cooper said. "I always played for the love of the game, and the team, and winning championships. Tonight is, to me, more special than the Hall of Fame — but both of them are equally important."

Michael Cooper's No. 21 jersey now hangs between Magic Johnson's No. 32 and James Worthy's No. 42. (Photo by Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images)

Cooper is still wildly popular in his native Los Angeles area, as evidenced by the standing ovations and serenades of "Coooooooooop" given to him throughout the night. The Lakers gave a Cooper replica jersey to every fan at their downtown arena for their first game since wildfires devastated the Los Angeles area.

The number retirement coincidentally occurred on an already emotional night for the Lakers and their fans after their two previous games were postponed because of the catastrophic wildfires. Cooper is a Pasadena native who also lived in next-door Altadena, which has been devastated by the fire originating in