Carson Cooper’s first NBA Summer League game came with a moment that Michigan State fans know all too well: the big man rolling to the rim, rising for a lob, and finishing with authority.
This time, though, the pass didn’t come from Jeremy Fears Jr. It came from Javon Small, and the finish came over Aday Mara.
Cooper, now with the Memphis Grizzlies, and Mara, playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder, both opened Summer League on Saturday and both made their presence felt. Cooper finished with 11 points and five rebounds, while Mara posted 10 points and three boards. But the play everyone will remember happened in the third quarter.
Cooper set a screen for Small near the top of the key, then slipped toward the basket and signaled for the lob. Small delivered it on time, and before Mara could recover, Cooper hammered home one of the best early dunks of Summer League. It was the kind of finish that left Mara on the wrong end of the highlight.
Mara answered on the next possession with a slick move to shake Cooper loose and then threw down a dunk of his own, but this one didn’t turn into a poster.
For Michigan State fans, the Cooper play probably looked familiar. It was the same basic action they watched plenty of times during his college run, only now it was showing up on an NBA Summer League floor and coming from a different point guard.
That’s the part that makes the moment more than just a summer highlight. Cooper signed a two-way deal, so his path will run through both the G-League and the NBA, but performances like this are exactly how a player starts forcing a team’s hand. Memphis will have a hard time ignoring him if he keeps finishing plays like that.
There was already chatter after the season about the possibility of Cooper returning for a fifth year, and Michigan State fans were all over that idea. His departure left a gap at center, and with Izzo’s system already second nature to him, he would have fit neatly into a projected loaded 2026-27 roster.
Instead, he’s out here putting up double figures, knocking down a three, and throwing down a poster on a lottery pick he had trouble with during the regular season.
It’s enough to make anyone wonder what a fifth year of Carson Cooper might have looked like.
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Michigan State Just Lost A Trusted Staffer To A Familiar Program
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Greg Kampe is bringing Lampman back to Oakland as an assistant coach and director of operations, a fitting next step for someone who knows the program as well as anyone. Lampman played five seasons there and still holds the school record for most games played, so the move gives the Golden Grizzlies a trusted voice with deep roots in a place that already feels like home. [Read more 🡒]
ESPN Just Put Several Michigan State Legends In Rare Company
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For Spartan fans, the interesting part is not just the recognition itself, but the company those legends were keeping on a national list built to compare eras, positions and styles across the sport. ESPNs rankings showed that Michigan States greats were not simply included as afterthoughts, but were part of the conversation at several numbers, a small but meaningful nod to the programs place in college football history. [Read more 🡒]