The former Auburn star is just two weeks away from realizing his professional dreams.
After spending the entire season at Auburn being listed as 6' 1", Sharife Cooper had a good laugh when he was mistakenly listed at 6' 4" at the NBA draft combine in June.
“I’m not 6' 4",” Cooper says with a laugh. “But I’m definitely not 6' 1" anymore, I’m about 6' 2".”
The height mishap brought on a larger question that has been intensely debated in basketball circles for years: Is height a prerequisite for production in the NBA?
Chris Paul is the best current example for the “no” crowd. The 16-year vet, who is listed at 6 feet, is averaging 24.6 points and 8.6 assists in the NBA Finals, and has the Suns up 2–1 over the Bucks.
“I believe it’s extremely overrated,” Cooper says. “You watch all these point guards like Cameron Payne and Chris Paul and Trae Young and all these guys be the best players on the floor everywhere they play. You watch Chris Paul shoot over a 7-foot Brook Lopez. It’s funny how much they emphasize height instead of looking at a player’s talent. It feels like we’re always gonna have to go get it the hard way and that’s fine.”
Last season, Oral Roberts point guard Max Abmas led the nation in scoring with 24.5 points per game, and was the star of this year’s men's NCAA tournament, carrying the 15th-seeded Golden Eagles to the Sweet 16.
Abmas, who stands right around 6' 0", said he was tired of the “for his size” add-on when people discuss his dominance.
“It comes with it, but it really makes no sense,” Abmas said. “Height doesn’t matter; it’s been proven over and over, even before me.”
Cooper certainly didn’t need the extra two inches to dominate as a freshman, averaging 20.2 points, 8.1 assists and 4.3 rebounds a game.
To that end, Cooper says he’s staying in the moment and focusing on the fact that he’s a mere two weeks away from accomplishing his lifelong dream.
“It honestly doesn’t even feel real,” Cooper says. “It’s a lot of anxious nervousness not knowing where, not knowing how, not knowing what. I try not to think about it too much until the time actually comes. It’s fun though. I’m just enjoying the process and enjoying these workouts for now.”
See Cooper’s full one-on-one with Sports Illlustrated’s Jason Jordan above.
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