Copeland had short stints in the American NBA with the Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Clippers, but experienced his most success in the Australian NBL. From 1992 to 2005, he played for the Melbourne Tigers, winning league championships in 1993 and 1997. He was also the NBL Grand Final MVP in 1997. Copeland then moved to the Brisbane Bullets for the 2005-06 NBL season, before heading to the Adelaide 36ers, playing two more seasons until he finished his career following the 2007-08 NBL season.

During his NBL career, Copeland played 532 games (currently 5th overall in NBL history) and scored at total of 10,735 points. During his time with the Tigers, Copeland played 449 games (2nd behind Andrew Gaze), averaging 21.9 points per game. Copeland was also a member of the All NBL First Team in both 1992 and 2002.

Following his playing days in the NBL, Copeland continues to be involved in Australian basketball at a number of levels.