1. Xavier Cooks was born on 19 August 1995 and is an Australian professional basketball player for the Sydney Kings of the National Basketball League.
25 Facts About Xavier Cooks
1. 2.
Xavier Cooks played college basketball for the Winthrop Eagles, where he was named the 2018 Big South Conference Player of the Year.
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Xavier Cooks grew up in Wollongong, New South Wales, and attended Holy Spirit College.
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In 2013, Cooks played for the Illawarra Hawks in the Waratah League.
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Xavier Cooks moved to the United States in 2014 to play college basketball for the Winthrop Eagles.
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Xavier Cooks chose Winthrop over offers from schools such as UC Santa Barbara, Boise State, Hartford, Maine, and Nicholls State.
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Xavier Cooks helped Winthrop win the Big South Tournament and earned Big South All-Tournament Team.
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In 2020, Xavier Cooks was voted into the Big South Men's Basketball All-Decade Team.
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On 27 November 2019, Xavier Cooks signed with the Sydney Kings of the Australian NBL on a multi-year deal.
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Xavier Cooks averaged 10.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game in his second season with Sydney.
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Xavier Cooks helped the Kings win the 2022 NBL championship while earning Grand Final MVP honours.
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On 18 May 2022, Xavier Cooks signed with the Wellington Saints for the rest of the 2022 New Zealand NBL season.
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Xavier Cooks went on to win league MVP, All-Star Five and Most Outstanding Forward.
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On 22 June 2022, Xavier Cooks re-signed with the Kings on a three-year deal.
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Xavier Cooks finished the season averaging 14.5 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.
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On 17 March 2023, Xavier Cooks signed with the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association.
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Xavier Cooks made his NBA debut the next day, recording two rebounds in five and a half minutes against the Sacramento Kings.
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On 23 October 2023, Xavier Cooks was waived by the Wizards.
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Xavier Cooks averaged over 13 points and eight rebounds in 52 appearances with the Jets.
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On 27 May 2024, Xavier Cooks signed a three-year deal with the Sydney Kings.
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In 2017, Xavier Cooks was named to the Australian "Emerging Boomers" squad for the Summer Universiade.
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In early August 2019, Xavier Cooks made the final cut for Australia's 2019 FIBA World Cup roster.
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Xavier Cooks's father is an African-American expatriate who became a naturalised citizen of Australia, and his mother is Australian.
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Xavier Cooks's father played college basketball for St Mary's College in California before relocating to Australia to pursue a professional career.
25.
Xavier Cooks was provisionally suspended in February 2025 following a positive doping test result.