Xavier Cooks is an Australian professional basketball player for the Sydney Kings of the National Basketball League (NBL). He played for a short time in 2023 for the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association.
Player Profile and Personal Life
Xavier Cooks was born on August 19, 1995, in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia. He stands 203 cm tall and his weight is listed at 83 kg. Cooks plays a forward and he shoots right.
Cooks is the son of Eric Cooks and Josie. His father is an African-American expatriate who became a naturalized citizen of Australia, and his mother is Australian.
| Position | Small Forward |
| Height / weight | 2.03 m / 83 kg |
| Born | 19 Aug 1995 |
| Nationality |
Australia
|
| Playing Style | Right Handed |
| Team History | |
Washington
|
2023 |
His father played college basketball for St. Mary’s College in California before relocating to Australia to pursue a professional career. Cooks has two siblings, Georgia and Dominique Cooks. His brother was also a basketball player.
High School and College Career
Cooks grew up in Wollongong, New South Wales, and attended Holy Spirit College.
In 2013, he played for the Illawarra Hawks in the Waratah League. The following year, he moved to Canberra and played for the BA Centre of Excellence in the South East.
Cooks moved to the United States in 2014 to play college basketball for the Winthrop Eagles. As a senior in 2017–18, he was named the Big South Conference Player of the Year and an Associated Press honorable mention All-American.
He finished his Winthrop career as the program’s all-time leading rebounder and shot blocker. In 2020, Cooks was voted into the Big South Men’s Basketball All-Decade Team (2010–19).
Professional Career
After going undrafted in the 2018 NBA Draft, Cooks began his professional career in Germany with s.Oliver Würzburg of the Basketball Bundesliga. In 2019, he had a short stint with SIG Strasbourg of the French LNB Pro A.
Cooks returned to Australia in November 2019, signing with the Sydney Kings of the NBL. He helped the Kings win the NBL championship in 2022 while earning grand-final MVP honors.
In 2022, Cooks played for the Wellington Saints of the New Zealand NBL, leading them to a championship while being named league MVP. He re-joined the Kings for the 2022–23 NBL season, winning his second straight NBL title and being named league MVP.
For a short time in 2023, he was signed with the Washington Wizards but was later waived.
In November 2023, Cooks signed with Chiba Jets Funabashi of the Japanese B.League. He helped the Jets win the 2023–24 EASL championship. In May 2024, Cooks signed a three-year deal to return to the Kings.
As of 2024, he still plays for the Sydney Kings.
International Career
In 2017, Cooks played for the Australian national team at the FIBA Asia Cup in Lebanon, where Australia won a silver medal. He is a member of the Boomers squad for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Career Highlights
- 2024 - EASL champion
- 2022, 2023 - NBL champion
- 2022 - NBL Grand Final MVP
- 2023 - NBL Most Valuable Player
- 2023 - All-NBL First Team
- 2022 - All-NBL Second Team
- 2022 - NZNBL MVP
- 2022 - NZNBL All-Star Five
- 2022 - NZNBL Most Outstanding Forward
- 2018 - Big South Player of the Year
- 2017, 2018 - First-team All-Big South
- 2016 - Second-team All-Big South
- 2015 - Big South All-Freshman Team
