Brian Joshua Cook (born December 4, 1980) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player. He was drafted out of the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...

with the 24th overall pick in the

2003 NBA draft The 2003 NBA draft was held on June 26, 2003, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The NBA announced that 41 college and high school players and a record 31 international players had filed as early-entry candidates ...

by the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

. In 2004, Cook was named to the University of Illinois All-Century Team.

High school career

Cook played high school basketball at

Lincoln Community High School Lincoln Community High School is located at 1000 Railer Way in Lincoln, Illinois, United States. It is the only high school of the Lincoln Community High School District #404. Sports The school is a traditional power in boys' basketball, music, ...

in central Illinois where he led the Railsplitters to the quarterfinals of the 1999

Illinois High School Association The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) is an association that regulates competition of interscholastic sports and some interscholastic activities at the high school level for the state of Illinois. It is a charter member of the National Fed ...

class AA state boys basketball tournament. Cook scored 38 points in 2 IHSA tournament finals games, averaging 19.0 points per game. He was named to the 1998 State Farm Holiday Classic all-tournament team and was a 1999 McDonald's All-American. He was also named the 1999

Illinois Mr. Basketball The Illinois Mr. Basketball award is given to the person chosen as the best high school boys basketball player in the U.S. state of Illinois. Most of the award winners have gone on to play at the highest levels of college basketball, and many have ...

after averaging 21.7 points, 10.1 rebounds, 3.2 blocks, 2.0 steals and 1.8 assists per game as a senior.Brian Cook Bio
Cook was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2016.

College career

Cook played 132 games in four years for the University of Illinois, most of them under coach

Bill Self Billy Eugene Self Jr. (born December 27, 1962) is an American basketball coach. He is the head men's basketball coach at the University of Kansas, a position he has held since 2003. During his 19 seasons as head coach, he has led the Jayhawks to ...

, and led the Illini in rebounding in each season. Cook was a versatile scorer from both inside and outside the paint, utilizing his height to score in the post and hitting three-point shots when left open. This helped him to earn co-Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors during his freshman year at Illinois. Cook helped lead the Illini to a number one seed in the 2001 NCAA Tournament, and the Illini cruised to the Elite 8, where they were upset in a hard-fought and controversial game by Cook's future teammate

Luke Walton Luke Theodore Walton (born March 28, 1980) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played 10 seasons in the NBA as a fo ...

and the

Arizona Wildcats The Arizona Wildcats are the sport, athletic teams that represent the University of Arizona, located in Tucson, Arizona, Tucson. The Wildcats compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I (NCAA Divis ...

. As a senior in the 2002–03 season, Cook led the Fighting Illini in scoring with 20.0 points per game, and received the

Chicago Tribune Silver Basketball The Chicago Tribune Silver Basketball was an award presented annually by the ''Chicago Tribune'' to the top men's and women's college basketball player of the Big Ten Conference. The ''Chicago Tribune'' awarded the Silver Basketball for men's basket ...

as the Most Outstanding Player of the

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

. That same season, Cook was named second team All-American by

The Sporting News The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...

, and third team All-American by the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

, the

National Association of Basketball Coaches The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, is an American organization of men's college basketball coaches. It was founded in 1927 by Phog Allen, head men's basketball coach at the University o ...

, and ''The Basketball Times'', as well as Big Ten Player of the Year and first team All-Big Ten by both the coaches and the media. Additionally, he would lead the Illini to the

Big Ten men's basketball tournament The Big Ten men's basketball tournament is held annually at the end of the men's college basketball regular season. The tournament has been played each year since 1998. The winner of the tournament is designated the Big Ten Tournament Champion, an ...

championship and be named Most Outstanding Player. Cook left Illinois as the school's third all-time leading scorer with 1,748 total points, at an average of 13.2 points per game, behind

Deon Thomas Deon La velle Thomas (born February 24, 1971) is an American-Israeli former basketball player. As a high school player, he led his team to the Chicago Public League title, and was named Illinois Mr. Basketball. As a college player at the Univers ...

and Kiwane Garris.

Professional career

Cook was selected with the 24th overall pick in the

by the

. He played sparingly in his rookie campaign as a backup to superstar center

Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), known commonly as "Shaq" ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program ''Inside the NBA''. O'Neal is regarded as one of the greates ...

, and was mostly an interior player, notching only five three-point attempts out of 141 total field goal attempts. As his professional career evolved, however, Cook once again became a player who could play beyond the perimeter, after O'Neal moved on to the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Southe ...

and

Rudy Tomjanovich Rudolph Tomjanovich Jr. (born November 24, 1948) is an American former professional basketball player and coach who is a consultant for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). His professional playing career, whic ...

took over for

Phil Jackson Philip Douglas Jackson (born September 17, 1945) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive. A power forward, Jackson played 12 seasons in the NBA, winning NBA championships with the New York Knicks in 1970 and ...

as Lakers' head coach. He was mainly used as a three-point specialist; 199 of 422 (or 47.2%) of Cook's field goal attempts were from behind the three-point arc. When Phil Jackson returned to coach the Lakers in 2005–06, Cook started to take less three-pointers again, which resulted in Cook improving his overall field-goal percentage from .417 in 2004–05 to .520 in 2005–06. It also resulted in an improvement in his three-point field-goal percentage, from .392 in 2004–05 to .441 in 2005–06. His improved play kept Cook on the court more as his minutes played per game rose from 15.1 in 2004–05 to 19.4 in 2005–06. On November 20, 2007, Cook was traded, along with Maurice Evans, to the

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was establ ...

in exchange for

Trevor Ariza Trevor Anthony Ariza (born June 30, 1985) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He won an NBA championship in his first stint with the Lakers in 2009 ...

. On February 19, 2009, Cook was traded to the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...

in a three-team trade also involving the Magic and the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference ...

. On February 20, 2010, he was waived by the Rockets. On July 9, 2010, Cook signed with the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...

. On March 15, 2012, Cook was traded, along with a 2015 second-round pick, to the

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast D ...

in exchange for Nick Young. Cook's final NBA game ever was during his time with the Wizards, as he played his final game on April 26, 2012 in a 104 - 70 win over the

. Cook recorded 4 points and 1 rebound in his final game. On September 17, 2012, he re-signed with the Wizards. However, he was later waived by the Wizards on October 28, 2012. In March 2013, Cook signed with

Piratas de Quebradillas The Piratas de Quebradillas is a Puerto Rican basketball team, part of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional league. Founded in the mid 1920s, it is one of the original teams of the league. The club enjoyed its most successful era during the 1970s, ...

for the 2013 BSN season. On September 30, 2013, Cook signed with the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...

. However, he was later waived by the Jazz on October 26, 2013. On September 25, 2014, Cook signed with the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at Li ...

. However, he was later waived by the Pistons on October 20, 2014. On December 28, 2014, he signed with Al-Riyadi of the

Lebanese Basketball League The Lebanese Basketball League is the top-tier professional men's basketball league in Lebanon. It is organized annually as a national championship with playoffs and a national cup by the Lebanese Basketball Federation (FLB). Currently, the leagu ...

. He left Al-Riyadi in mid-January after appearing in just three games. On February 10, 2015, he signed with Aguada of the

Liga Uruguaya de Basketball Liga or LIGA may refer to: People * Līga (name), a Latvian female given name * Luciano Ligabue, more commonly known as Ligabue or ''Liga'', Italian rock singer-songwriter Sports * Liga ACB, men's professional basketball league in Spain * Lig ...

, in

Montevideo Montevideo () is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 1,319,108 (about one-third of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...

, Uruguay. He also managed just three games for Aguada. On June 15, 2015, Cook signed with

Chiba Jets Chiba Jets Funabashi ( ja, 千葉ジェッツふなばし) is a Japanese professional basketball team located in Funabashi, Chiba. The team joined the JBL Super League in 2005 and currently competes in the B.League. The 31,000sqm Lala Arena Toky ...

of the Japanese National Basketball League.

Personal

Cook is the son of

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

and Joyce Cook, and has two younger sisters, Kristina and Natasha. His father was an All-American with the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...

and played briefly for the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

. His uncle, Joe Cook, played basketball for

Duke University Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist James ...

from 1988–1990. On July 4, 2009, Cook married long-time girlfriend, Victoria Velasquez. Cook has played in the

BIG3 Big3 (stylized BIG3) is a 3-on-3 basketball league founded by hip hop musician and actor Ice Cube and entertainment executive Jeff Kwatinetz. The league consists of 12 teams whose rosters include both former NBA players and international playe ...

basketball league as a member of the

Killer 3's The Killer 3s are an American men's 3-on-3 basketball team that plays in the BIG3 Big3 (stylized BIG3) is a 3-on-3 basketball league founded by hip hop musician and actor Ice Cube and entertainment executive Jeff Kwatinetz. The league consi ...

team.

Honors

High school

* 1998 – State Farm Holiday Classic All-Tournament Team * 1999 –

McDonald's All-American McDonald's Corporation is an American multinational fast food chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechristened their business as a hamburger ...

* 2016 – Inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association's Hall of Fame as a player.

College

* 2000 – Co-

Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

Freshman of the Year * 2000 – Big Ten tournament All-Tournament Team * 2001 – 2nd Team All-Big Ten * 2002 – 2nd Team All-Big Ten * 2003 – Team Co-Captain * 2003 – Team MVP * 2003 – Preseason

Wooden Award The John R. Wooden Award is an award given annually to the most outstanding men's and women's college basketball players. The program consists of the men's and women's Player of the Year awards, the Legends of Coaching award, and recognizing the ...

Nominee * 2003 – 1st Team All-Big Ten * 2003 –

Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year The Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year is a basketball award given to the Big Ten Conference's most outstanding player. The award was first given following the 1984–85 season. Only three players have won the award multiple ti ...

* 2003 –

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

''s Silver Basketball award * 2003 – Big Ten tournament All-Tournament Team * 2003 –

Big Ten tournament Most Outstanding Player Big or BIG may refer to: * Big, of great size or degree Film and television * ''Big'' (film), a 1988 fantasy-comedy film starring Tom Hanks * '' Big!'', a Discovery Channel television show * ''Richard Hammond's Big'', a television show present ...

* 2003 – 3rd Team All American * 2004 – Elected to the " Illini Men's Basketball All-Century Team". * 2008 – Honored as one of the thirty-three honored jerseys which hang in the State Farm Center to show regard for being the most decorated basketball players in the University of Illinois' history.

College statistics

* All-time leader in University of Illinois history

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

L.A. Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

, 35 , , 2 , , 12.6 , , .475 , , .000 , , .750 , , 2.9 , , .6 , , .5 , , .5 , , 4.4 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 72 , , 0 , , 15.1 , , .417 , , .392 , , .757 , , 3.0 , , .5 , , .3 , , .4 , , 6.4 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 81 , , 46 , , 19.0 , , .511 , , .429 , , .832 , , 3.4 , , .9 , , .5 , , .4 , , 7.9 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 65 , , 24 , , 15.7 , , .453 , , .400 , , .723 , , 3.3 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , .4 , , 6.9 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 6 , , 2 , , 11.7 , , .190 , , .200 , , 1.000 , , 1.7 , , .5 , , .3 , , .0 , , 2.3 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures rele ...

, 45 , , 0 , , 12.4 , , .394 , , .390 , , .882 , , 2.2 , , .5 , , .2 , , .3 , , 5.0 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 21 , , 0 , , 7.0 , , .383 , , .440 , , .833 , , 1.3 , , .2 , , .1 , , .0 , , 3.0 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, 9 , , 0 , , 2.8 , , .313 , , .400 , , .000 , , .6 , , .1 , , .0 , , .3 , , 1.3 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 15 , , 0 , , 2.9 , , .304 , , .222 , , .714 , , .6 , , .1 , , .0 , , .1 , , 1.4 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , L.A. Clippers , 40 , , 0 , , 11.2 , , .424 , , .430 , , .625 , , 2.4 , , .4 , , .3 , , .3 , , 4.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , L.A. Clippers , 16 , , 0 , , 7.6 , , .224 , , .185 , , 1.000 , , 1.4 , , .1 , , .1 , , .3 , , 1.9 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, 16 , , 0 , , 9.7 , , .408 , , .217 , , .833 , , 2.5 , , .5 , , .3 , , .1 , , 3.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 421 , , 74 , , 13.4 , , .439 , , .382 , , .783 , , 2.6 , , .6 , , .3 , , .3 , , 5.5

Playoffs

, - , align="left" ,

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

, align="left" ,

, 13 , , 0 , , 3.5 , , .333 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , .9 , , .1 , , .1 , , .0 , , .9 , - , align="left" ,

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

, align="left" ,

, 7 , , 0 , , 11.1 , , .391 , , .364 , , 1.000 , , 3.1 , , 1.1 , , .1 , , .0 , , 6.3 , - , align="left" ,

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

, align="left" ,

, 5 , , 0 , , 10.2 , , .333 , , .429 , , 1.000 , , 1.2 , , .0 , , .0 , , .2 , , 3.6 , - , align="left" ,

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

, align="left" ,

, 6 , , 0 , , 5.3 , , .267 , , .222 , , .000 , , 2.0 , , .5 , , .3 , , .2 , , 1.7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 31 , , 0 , , 6.7 , , .351 , , .333 , , 1.000 , , 1.7 , , .4 , , .1 , , .1 , , 2.7

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cook, Brian 1980 births Living people African-American basketball players All-American college men's basketball players American expatriate basketball people in Japan American expatriate basketball people in Lebanon American expatriate basketball people in Uruguay American men's basketball players Basketball players from Illinois Big3 players Centers (basketball) Chiba Jets Funabashi players Houston Rockets players Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball players Los Angeles Clippers players Los Angeles Lakers players McDonald's High School All-Americans Orlando Magic players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) People from Lincoln, Illinois Piratas de Quebradillas players Power forwards (basketball) 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American people American men's 3x3 basketball players