Xavier Cooks

Xavier Cooks's Biography

Xavier Cooks, known widely in the sports world as an accomplished Australian professional basketball player, was born on August 19, 1995, in Ballarat, Victoria. Despite starting his life in Victoria, Cooks grew up in New South Wales’ city of Wollongong, attending school at Holy Spirit College.

In 2013, at the young age of 18, Cooks began his professional basketball career with the Illawarra Hawks of the Waratah League. Following a year of play, Cooks decided to pursue new opportunities and moved to Canberra to join the BA Centre of Excellence in the Southeast Australian Basketball League (SEABL) in 2014.

Following a fruitful year in Canberra, Cooks made a radical shift by choosing to move across the globe to the United States. He elected to continue his flourishing basketball career as a college athlete, joining the prestigious Winthrop Eagles in 2014. It was a tough decision, as Cooks had to choose Winthrop over enticing offers from other well-regarded schools including UC Santa Barbara, Boise State, Hartford, Maine, and Nicholls State.

During his collegiate career, Cooks garnered numerous accolades. As early as his freshman year in 2014/15, he was named to the Big South Conference All-Freshman Team. Throughout his sophomore year in 2015/16, Cooks consistently performed to a high standard, which led to him being awarded second-team All-Big South honours.

Cooks’ performance continually improved with each season, and he bagged a first-team All-Big South in his junior year, 2016/17. His impeccable skill helped his team, the Winthrop Eagles, secure a victory in the Big South Tournament leading to his selection in the Big South All-Tournament Team. 2017 was a year of great achievements for Cooks. His most noteworthy accomplishment was recording a 20-point, 20-rebound game on 15 February 2017, the first for Winthrop since 2003.

As a senior in 2017–18, Cooks scaled further heights, once again becoming first-team All-Big South and earning the prestigious title of Big South Player of the Year. During this spectacular season, Cooks set a new record at Winthrop becoming their all-time leading rebounder. His contributions to the Winthrop Eagles were recognised by the Big South Men’s Basketball All-Decade Team in 2020 when Cooks was voted into the team for the period 2010-19.

Despite a successful college career, Cooks was not drafted in the 2018 NBA draft but was quickly picked up by the Golden State Warriors for the 2018 NBA Summer League. To take advantage of all the opportunities at his disposal and to further harness his skills, Cooks played for Germany’s s.Oliver Würzburg team in 2018–19 before later joining the Phoenix Suns for the 2019 NBA Summer League.

Towards the end of 2019, Cooks had a short stint with French team SIG Strasbourg, which was abbreviated due to an injury. On his recovery, he signed a multi-year deal with the Sydney Kings, a team in the Australian NBL.

Throughout the 2019-2022 seasons, Cooks gave stellar performances for the Sydney Kings, clinching the NBL championship in 2022 and taking home the Grand Final MVP honours. Furthering his success, Cooks, in 2023, was named NBL MVP and helped the team win another NBL championship.

Showing his resilience and adaptability, Cooks joined the Wellington Saints for the rest of the 2022 New Zealand NBL season after re-signing with the Sydney Kings. His time with the Saints proved fruitful both personally and for the team, as he won league MVP, All-Star Five and Most Outstanding Forward honours.

After spending a short stint with the Washington Wizards in the NBA and the Japanese team, Chiba Jets Funabashi, Cooks returned to the Australian NBL. On 27 May 2024, Cooks agreed to a three-year deal with the Sydney Kings, a testament to his ability to adapt and overcome adversity.

Off the court, Cooks has contributed his skills to team Australia in various international competitions, including the 2017 Summer Universiade and Australia’s 2019 FIBA World Cup roster. Unfortunately, a knee injury forced him to pull out of the competition, but his dedication to Australian basketball is unquestionable.

Away from basketball, Cooks enjoys a close relationship with his family, which includes his parents, Eric and Josie Cooks, and his two siblings. Cooks’ father, a naturalised Australian citizen who was originally from the United States, played college basketball for California’s St. Mary’s College before moving to Australia to pursue his professional career.

Both Cooks and his brother inherited their father’s love for basketball, and Cooks’ personal and professional life is ultimately a demonstration of a love for the sport and the relentless pursuit of success. Over the years, Cook’s ability to adapt, persevere and continually improve has secured his position as an accomplished and esteemed professional in the world of basketball.