Lakers News: Former LA Champion Signs Overseas
Former Laker champion, a member of the 2019-20 Bubble Champion Lakers, is signing a deal to play in Russia for the Lokomotiv Kuban. Cook was a valuable member of the second unit during the Lakers championship run, but the Lakers cut Cook midway through the 2020-21 campaign.
Since then, he's played for the Cavaliers during the 2020-21 season and then was invited to play for the Portland Trailblazers during preseason. He was then waived by Portland prior to the start of the regular season.
Cook's biggest asset is his outside shooting. Shooting upwards or around 40% for most of his career, he shot 36% for the Lakers during the title run. Save your jokes about the Lakers being where outside shooters go to die.
Cook was a Duke graduate, winning an NCAA title in 2015 for the Blue Devils, averaging 15.3 points and 2.6 assists per game. Cook also won a title with the Golden State Warriors in 2018. He may not have the most checkered NBA career, but two championships and an NCAA title puts him in a small group of players to ever have those accolades.
Laker fans should wish Cook the best of luck. He wasn't the most talented player to ever wear the purple and gold, but he was way better than the numbers indicate and was always a team player as a Laker.
