Quinn Cook has been surrounded by greatness his entire basketball career.
In college, he played four seasons for the winningest coach in collegiate basketball history, Mike Krzyzewski, and added to Coach K’s trophy case by helping Duke to a national title in 2015.
After going undrafted that spring, Cook strung together a five-year NBA career from 2016-21 and played alongside some of the all-time greats in hoops history like Steph Curry, Kevin Durant and LeBron James.
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He saw first-hand everything it takes to build an NBA legacy.
“They’re ultra, ultra, ultra competitive,” Cook told Grant Liffmann on the Dubs Talk Podcast. “You grow up hearing stories of how competitive [Michael Jordan] was and [Kobe Bryant], and obviously those are the two that everybody that’s older than us tells us about.
“Being around Kevin and Steph and Bron – it’s just like – these dudes is just as competitive as the stuff I’m hearing and stuff I’m seeing [about Bryant and Jordan]. They’re very competitive. Those three work as hard as anybody.”
Cook played parts of two seasons with James and the Los Angeles Lakers from 2019-21 and won a league title as their backup point guard in the 2020 NBA bubble. He logged minutes with Curry and Durant on the Warriors from 2017-19 and averaged 9.5 points per game during the team’s 2017-18 championship campaign.
Golden State Warriors
“I worked out with Steph every single day, and I just would see how hard he works,” Cook said. “Five minutes into the workout, he’s drenched in sweat.”
As Curry’s backup for two seasons, Cook didn't hesitate to dub the NBA’s all-time leading 3-point shooter as the greatest player at his position.
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“I think he’s the best point guard to ever play. I don’t think it’s close. No disrespect to anybody who’s played the position but that’s just my opinion. I don’t think there will ever be somebody or there’s ever been somebody who just changed the game like he changed the game. He plays how he plays.”
Cook, who was released by the Portland Trail Blazers ahead of the 2021-22 season, spent time with Lokomotiv Kuban of Russia before departing the team in late December.
As the NBA battles COVID-19 issues, Cook is a candidate to receive a 10-day contract under the league’s hardship exemption.