Carson Cooper

Latest

Carson Cooper is in his rookie season on a two-way contract with the Memphis Grizzlies, who are 4-0. He has not played in the regular season yet. He was listed as a coach’s decision in the October 25 win at Sacramento and did not appear in the other three games. In the preseason he played three games and scored 8 points with 4 rebounds in 15 minutes of a 132-123 win at Atlanta. Memphis visits Portland on Thursday, October 29.

The player’s game

Cooper is a 6-foot-11, 245-pound center. He is a strong athlete with good touch around the basket and good instincts as a passer, and he plays with the kind of physical edge the Grizzlies have built their roster around. He is limited as a scorer away from the rim. He tried only five threes as a senior and made two. His free-throw shooting got better every year at Michigan State, and he made 78.8 percent as a senior.

Michigan State

Cooper played four seasons for Tom Izzo and made only eight starts in his first three years. As a senior in 2025-26 he started all 35 games and averaged about 11 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 block in 26.7 minutes, shooting 58.4 percent from the field. It was his first season averaging more than 5 points a game, and the Spartans reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

Joining Memphis

Cooper went undrafted in June 2026, and the Grizzlies agreed to a two-way deal with him right after the draft. The contract was not made official until September 28, when Memphis waived center Lawson Lovering to make room. He took the team’s third two-way spot, alongside guards Javon Small and Jahmai Mashack. He will earn $678,882 this season, half of the rookie minimum. On a two-way deal he can be active for up to 50 of the Grizzlies’ 82 regular-season games and can also play for the Memphis Hustle in the G League. He joins a frontcourt that added Cameron Boozer in the draft and Isaiah Stewart as a backup to Zach Edey.

Background

Cooper was born April 9, 2004, and is from Jackson, Michigan.