Wayne Cooper obit

Former Portland Trail Blazers center Wayne Cooper dies at 65: ‘He was a huge part of the Rip City community’

 

He was not on the list.

Former Portland Trail Blazers center/power forward Wayne Cooper has died at the age of 65, according to the Denver Nuggets, who made the announcement via Twitter.

The 6-foot-10 Cooper spent 14 years in the NBA from the 1978-79 season through 1991-92. He spent five seasons with the Blazers (1982-84 and 1989-1993) and the Nuggets (1984-1989) in the 1980s and 90s.

His cause of death was not immediately known.

“Wayne Cooper was an amazing teammate, friend, father and husband,” former Blazers guard Terry Porter said in a statement released by the team. “He was a vital part of the thrilling Western Conference Finals runs and someone you knew you could always rely on, on and off the court. He was a huge part of the Rip City community who will be sorely missed by all those that were lucky enough to know him.”

Cooper, who attended the University of New Orleans, was selected by the Golden State Warriors with the No. 40 overall pick of the 1978 NBA draft. And he went on to play for the Warriors, Utah Jazz and Dallas Mavericks, in addition to the Blazers and Nuggets, during his career. Cooper averaged 7.9 points and 4.0 rebounds during a career that spanned 984 games, including 461 starts.

Cooper’s final three years in the NBA (1989-92) were spent with the Blazers as a backup during one of the greatest runs in franchise history. The Blazers played in the NBA Finals in 1990 and 1992 and reached the Western Conference finals in 1991.

“It is an incredibly sad day for all of us that knew Wayne,” former Blazers guard Geoff Petrie said in a statement. “He was a remarkable friend, adviser and incredible human being. As part of one of the best groups in Trail Blazers history in the late 80s and early 90s, he was a consummate team guy, loyal and had a great feel for people. Around these parts, we will forever miss the man known as ‘Big Papa’.”

Those teams featured four other players who have since died. Center Kevin Duckworth died in 2008, forward Jerome Kersey died in 2015 and forward Cliff Robinson died in 2020.

Cooper played 161 games with the Blazers, starting 98. His best statistical years, however, came in Denver, where he averaged 9.4 points and 7.8 rebounds per game.

After his playing days, Cooper became an NBA executive, during which he served as the Sacramento Kings’ vice president of basketball operations from 1996 to 2013.

Cooper made his NBA debut on October 14, 1978, scoring two points to go along with two rebounds against the San Diego Clippers.

He played two seasons for the Golden State Warriors, then spent a year each with the Utah Jazz and Dallas Mavericks, before finding a happy home in Portland in 1982. The Blazers acquired Cooper and the draft pick that would eventually become Terry Porter in a summer trade with Dallas, in which the Blazers sent back point guard Kelvin Ransey.

Cooper started 98 out of 161 games for the Blazers during the 1982-83 and 1983-84 seasons. In June of 1984, he became part of the mega-deal with the Nuggets that included Fat Lever and Calvin Natt, exchanged for small forward Kiki Vandeweghe.

In his NBA career, Cooper played in 984 games and scored a total of 7,777 points. During the 1983 NBA Playoffs, in his first playoff appearance, Cooper played a key role in the Trail Blazers sweeping their rival Seattle SuperSonics in the first round by averaging 12 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks a game in the series. Cooper’s best season as a professional perhaps came during the 1985-86 NBA season as a member of the Nuggets, starting 78 games and averaging 13.1 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks per game. That season, on December 11, 1985, Cooper blocked a then-career-high 9 shots in a 134-95 win against the Los Angeles Clippers. Cooper later appeared in the 1990 NBA Finals and 1992 NBA Finals, both with the Trail Blazers.

From 1996 to 2013, Cooper was the Sacramento Kings Vice President of Basketball Operations