Daequan Cook
Daequan Cook | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 28, 1987 Dayton, Ohio, U.S. |
| Occupation | Professional basketball player (retired) |
| Years active | 2007–2020 |
| Known for | NBA player, 2009 NBA Three-Point Shootout champion |
Daequan Cook (born April 28, 1987) is a retired American professional basketball athlete who last competed for Ironi Nes Ziona in the Israeli Premier League. He was chosen 21st overall in the 2007 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers, but was promptly traded to the Miami Heat.
High school career
Cook attended Paul Laurence Dunbar High School located in Dayton, Ohio. During his senior year, he posted averages of 24.9 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game, guiding Dunbar to capture the Division II state championship. He earned a spot on the 2006 McDonald's All-American Team, contributing 17 points in the West's 112–94 victory, and received third-team honors on the Parade All-American list.
While at Dunbar, Cook played alongside Norris Cole, whom he would later face in the 2012 NBA Finals. Additionally, he was part of the SPIECE Indy Heat AAU squad with teammates such as Mark Titus, Greg Oden, and Mike Conley Jr., leading scoring efforts during their undefeated run at the 2004 Big Time event in Las Vegas.
College career
As a member of Ohio State University's "Thad Five" under Coach Thad Matta, Cook averaged 10.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 0.7 steals across 20.4 minutes per contest. On April 20, 2007, he declared for the 2007 NBA draft alongside fellow Buckeyes teammates Greg Oden and Mike Conley Jr.
Miami Heat (2007–2010)
In his rookie campaign with the Miami Heat, Cook averaged 8.2 points per game before being assigned to the NBA D-League's Iowa Energy in late February 2008. He returned to Miami on March 8 and posted a then career-high of 23 points in just his second game back. On March 4, 2009, he surpassed that mark by scoring 27 points against the Phoenix Suns, shooting an impressive 6–8 from beyond the arc.
Cook captured the title at the 2009 NBA All-Star Weekend Three-Point Shootout held in Phoenix, ending Jason Kapono's two-year reign as champion.
Oklahoma City Thunder (2010–2012)
On June 23, 2010, Cook was traded alongside the 18th overall pick in the 2010 draft to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for the 32nd pick.
During the 2010–11 season, Cook established himself as a key reserve and three-point specialist for the Thunder, helping elevate them into Western Conference title contenders. He secured a two-year contract extension in December 2011 and advanced to the 2012 NBA Finals with Oklahoma City, where they were defeated by his former team, the Miami Heat.
Houston Rockets (2012–2013)
On October 27, 2012, Cook was part of a trade package including James Harden, Cole Aldrich, and Lazar Hayward sent to the Houston Rockets in return for Kevin Martin, Jeremy Lamb, and draft selections. The Rockets waived Cook on January 2, 2013.
Chicago Bulls (2013)
Cook inked a deal with the Chicago Bulls on January 6, 2013, finishing out that NBA season with them.
Budivelnyk / Tübingen (2013–2014)
On November 23, 2013, Cook embarked on his first international contract with Ukrainian SuperLeague club Budivelnyk Kyiv, who also competed in the Euroleague. In his Euroleague debut, he tallied 16 points while shooting four of eight from three-point range during a narrow 74–82 defeat against CSKA Moscow. Budivelnyk released him on January 14, 2014. Shortly thereafter, on January 29, he signed with Germany's Walter Tigers Tübingen for the remainder of that season.
SPO Rouen (2014–2015)
On August 12, 2014, Cook committed to SPO Rouen Basket, competing in the French LNB Pro A league for the 2014–15 campaign.
Benfica (2015–2016)
Cook signed with Portuguese titleholders S.L. Benfica of the Liga Portuguesa de Basquetebol on August 14, 2015. He achieved a personal best by scoring 44 points, alongside nine rebounds and three assists, on March 13, 2016, despite the team's narrow 94–97 defeat to Porto.
Chemidor Tehran (2016–2017)
In December 2016, Cook joined Chemidor Tehran, a club in the Iranian Super League.
Ironi Nes Ziona (2017–2020)
On August 9, 2017, Cook inked a deal with Israeli squad Ironi Nes Ziona for the 2017–18 season. He led the team in scoring with an average of 16 points per contest and helped them reach the 2018 Israeli League Playoffs, where they were eliminated by Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Quarterfinals.
Cook renewed his contract for an additional year on June 7, 2018. On December 9 of that year, he tallied 24 points, including a decisive three-pointer that clinched victory over Maccabi Tel Aviv, earning him the Israeli League Round 9 MVP award. On April 7, 2019, he delivered a season-best performance with 30 points and seven three-pointers in a win against Hapoel Holon, securing MVP honors for Round 25.
He agreed to another one-year extension on August 1, 2019. On December 1, Cook posted a season-high of 34 points along with seven rebounds and two assists during a double overtime defeat to Hapoel Gilboa Galil.
Cook signed with Hapoel Tel Aviv on August 24, 2020; however, his contract was terminated on September 6 and replaced by Jon Diebler.
Regular season
|- | align="left" | | align="left" | Miami | 59 || 19 || 24.4 || .381 || .332 || .825 || 3.0 || 1.3 || .4 || .2 || 8.8 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Miami | 75 || 4 || 24.4 || .375 || .387 || .875 || 2.5 || .9 || .5 || .1 || 9.1 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Miami | 45 || 3 || 15.4 || .320 || .317 || .840 || 1.8 || 1.0 || .3 || .2 || 5.0 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Oklahoma City | 43 || 0 || 13.9 || .436 || .422 || .800 || 1.7 || .5 || .3 || .0 || 5.6 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Oklahoma City | 57 || 22 || 17.4 || .368 || .346 || .636 || 2.1 || .3 || .4 || .2 || 5.5 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Houston | 16 || 1 || 10.3 || .356 || .367 || .667 || 1.1 || .6 || .4 || .1 || 3.4 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Chicago | 33 || 0 || 8.4 || .278 || .246 || .778 || 1.3 || .3 || .1 || .2||2.5 |-class="sortbottom" | align="left" | Career | align="left" | |328||49||18.3||.369||.359||.813||2.1||.7||.4||.1||6.4
Playoffs
|- | align="left" | 2009 | align="left" | Miami | 7||0||23.0||.310||.300||1.000||2.4||.6||.3||.0||5.3 |- | align="left" | 2011 | align="left" | Oklahoma City | 17||0||11.5||.393||.348||1.000||1.6||.1||.2||.0||3.8 |- | align="left" | 2012 | align="left" | Oklahoma City |16||0||6.8||.378||.333||.000||.6||.3||.2||.0||2.3 |- | align="left" | 2013 | align="left" | Chicago |6||0||6.0||.100||.125||.000||.5|||.7||.2||.0||.5 |-class="sortbottom" | align="left" | Career | align="left" | |46||0||10.9||.345||.315||.750||1.2||.3||.2||.0||3.0