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Former Atlanta Hawks point guard Sharife Cooper was drafted in 2021 in the second round as the 48th overall pick. Cooper was a five-star recruit, according to On3, 247Sports, ESPN and Rivals. He committed to Auburn in 2019 and played 12 games for the Tigers, averaging 20.2 points, 8.1 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.0 steals per contest.
During his high school days, Cooper led McEachern High School to a 29-1 record in Power Springs, Georgia. In one of his games against Jahvon Quinerly and Hudson Catholic Regional High School, he led his school to an overtime victory with 42 points and a buzzer-beater in 2017.
In his junior year, McEachern averaged 27.2 points, 8.1 assists, 5.6 rebounds and 4.3 steals per game, leading the school to a perfect 32-0 record. This highlight reel will show you why Cooper was named the USA Today All-USA Player of the Year, MaxPreps National Player of the Year, Mr. Georgia Basketball and Georgia's Gatorade Player of the Year:
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Cooper's No. 2 jersey was retired at his school, honored as the most decorated high-school player.
Is Sharife Cooper in the NBA? Where does the former Auburn point guard play now?
Cooper played only one season for the Atlanta Hawks. He played just 13 games and averaged 0.5 points, 0.4 rebounds and 0.4 assists while shooting 21.4% from the field and 16.7% from beyond the arc.
After a poor season at the Hawks, he was with the Cleveland Cavaliers for two preseasons but spent most of his time in the NBA G League with the Cleveland Chargers. He averaged 18.7 points, 7.5 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists per contest in the 45 games he played for the Chargers.
In April, Cooper signed with the Liaoning Flying Leopards. He helped the Chinese side win the 2024 CBA championship, scoring 22 points, nine assists, and six rebounds as he came off the bench and secured the title in Game 4.
Cooper is not the only player who moved to China from the NBA. Other players like former Brooklyn Nets' center Jahlil Okafor, Memphis Grizzlies' power forward Marreese Speights and Boston Celtics' Jared Sullinger play in the Chinese League.
Cooper is averaging 11.6 points, 3.3 assists and 2.3 rebounds per contest for the Liaoning Flying Leopards.
Do you think we will see Sharife Cooper back in the NBA?
