Career snapshot
14seasons
984games
7,787career pts
12.8PER (avg)
Most-played franchise:
Denver Nuggets
· 351 games · 1984-85–1988-89
Position rank · 1990-91
#64PPG rank
#48PER rank
#36WS rank
Among 65 Center players (min. 41 games)
Career highs (single season)
PPG
13.1
1985-86 · DEN
RPG
7.9
1984-85 · DEN
APG
1.5
1981-82 · DAL
PER
16.3
1985-86 · DEN
WS
5.1
1985-86 · DEN
Draft
1978
Round 2 ·
Pick 40
from New Orleans
Career by team
Portland Trail Blazers
1982-83 – 1991-92 · 5 seasons
6.1 PPG
5.0 RPG
0.8 APG
342 games
Denver Nuggets
1984-85 – 1988-89 · 5 seasons
9.5 PPG
7.4 RPG
1.0 APG
351 games
Dallas Mavericks
1981-82 – 1981-82 · 1 seasons
9.0 PPG
7.2 RPG
1.5 APG
76 games
Utah Jazz
1980-81 – 1980-81 · 1 seasons
6.9 PPG
6.2 RPG
0.7 APG
71 games
Golden State Warriors
1978-79 – 1979-80 · 2 seasons
8.1 PPG
5.5 RPG
0.4 APG
144 games
Stats by season
| Season | Team | G | GS | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | FG% | 3P% | FT% | PER | WS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978-79 | GSW | 65 | 0 | 12.2 | 4.6 | 4.3 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 43.7 | 0.0 | 67.2 | 12.5 | 1.2 |
| 1979-80 | GSW | 79 | 0 | 22.5 | 11.0 | 6.4 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 48.9 | 25.0 | 75.1 | 14.8 | 2.8 |
| 1980-81 | UTA | 71 | 0 | 20.0 | 6.9 | 6.2 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 45.2 | 33.3 | 68.9 | 12.2 | 1.5 |
| 1981-82 | DAL | 76 | 38 | 23.9 | 9.0 | 7.2 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 1.4 | 42.0 | 12.5 | 74.4 | 13.8 | 2.9 |
| 1982-83 | POR | 80 | 60 | 26.2 | 9.7 | 7.6 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 1.7 | 44.3 | 0.0 | 68.5 | 12.4 | 2.9 |
| 1983-84 | POR | 81 | 38 | 20.5 | 9.8 | 5.9 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 1.3 | 45.9 | 0.0 | 80.4 | 15.8 | 4.1 |
| 1984-85 | DEN | 80 | 78 | 25.4 | 12.1 | 7.9 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 2.5 | 47.2 | 0.0 | 68.5 | 15.1 | 3.5 |
| 1985-86 | DEN | 78 | 78 | 27.1 | 13.1 | 7.8 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 2.9 | 46.6 | 42.9 | 79.5 | 16.3 | 5.1 |
| 1986-87 | DEN | 69 | 64 | 22.6 | 8.0 | 6.9 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 1.5 | 44.8 | 0.0 | 72.5 | 11.3 | 2.0 |
| 1987-88 | DEN | 45 | 32 | 19.2 | 6.4 | 6.0 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 2.1 | 43.7 | 0.0 | 74.6 | 11.7 | 1.2 |
| 1988-89 | DEN | 79 | 72 | 23.6 | 6.6 | 7.8 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 2.7 | 49.5 | 25.0 | 74.5 | 13.6 | 5.0 |
| 1989-90 | POR | 79 | 0 | 14.9 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 1.2 | 45.4 | 0.0 | 64.1 | 10.6 | 2.7 |
| 1990-91 | POR | 67 | 1 | 11.1 | 2.2 | 2.8 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.9 | 39.3 | 0.0 | 78.6 | 8.3 | 1.4 |
| 1991-92 | POR | 35 | 0 | 9.8 | 2.2 | 2.9 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.8 | 42.7 | 0.0 | 63.6 | 10.2 | 0.7 |
Transfers & team changes
Derived from season-by-season team membership.
| Date | Move | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 1989 | Denver Nuggets | Portland Trail Blazers | |
| Jul 1984 | Portland Trail Blazers | Denver Nuggets | |
| Jul 1982 | Dallas Mavericks | Portland Trail Blazers | |
| Jul 1981 | Utah Jazz | Dallas Mavericks | |
| Jul 1980 | Golden State Warriors | Utah Jazz | |
All entries are season change.
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About Wayne Cooper
Artis Wayne Cooper was an American professional basketball player who played fourteen seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "Coop", he played for the Golden State Warriors, Utah Jazz, Dallas Mavericks, Portland Trail Blazers, and Denver Nuggets from 1978 to 1992. He was the Denver Nuggets’ all-time leader in blocks when he left the franchise in 1989. After his playing career ended, he worked as an executive with the Trail Blazers and Sacramento Kings.