Former Lakers great and coach of the Atlanta Dream, Michael Cooper, has tongue cancer. Cooper will have surgery later on this week and is expected to make full recovery. Cooper is expected to miss over two weeks. With Cooper expected to miss two weeks, assistant head coach of the Dream, Karleen Thompson will fill in the duties as coach.
"I'm fortunate that my condition was diagnosed early, and this episode illustrates the importance of screening and early detection," Cooper said. "I know the team will be in good hands with Coach Thompson at the helm during my absence, and I look forward to returning to the court soon."
This is Cooper's first year coaching the Atlanta Dream. He had previous coaching experience in the WNBA with the Los Angeles Sparks, where he was the WNBA Coach of the Year in 2000. Cooper also won two WNBA championships with the Sparks.
The Dream are currently first in their conference with a 15-6 record.
