Te'a Cooper

Te'a Omari Cooper (born April 16, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball for the Baylor Lady Bears.[1][2]

Te'a Cooper
No. 4 – Los Angeles Sparks
PositionPoint guard
LeagueWNBA
Personal information
Born (1997-04-16) April 16, 1997
Montclair, New Jersey
NationalityAmerican
Listed height5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Listed weight160 lb (73 kg)
Career information
High schoolMcEachern
(Powder Springs, Georgia)
College
WNBA draft2020 / Round: 2 / Pick: 18th overall
Selected by the Phoenix Mercury
Playing career2020–present
Career history
2020–presentLos Angeles Sparks

High school career

Cooper played high school basketball for McEachern High School.[3] In her freshman year, McEachern High School was undefeated as they finished 33–0. She shot 65 percent from the field and averaged 11.2 points, 4.7 assists, and 3.0 steals per game.[4] In her sophomore season, she averaged 18.5 points, 5.0 assists, and 4.3 steals per game. In her junior year, she averaged 19.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 5.0 steals, and 1.0 block per game. In her senior season, she averaged 27.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 7.3 assists, and 3.5 steals per game.[5] She won three Georgia 6A State titles in 2012, 2014 and 2015, and she was the co-MVP of the 2015 McDonald's All-America game.[6]

College career

Cooper started her college basketball career for the Tennessee Volunteers women's basketball team, where she averaged 8.6 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game in her freshman season. She did not play during the 2016–17 season due to a left knee injury.[7] In 2017, while she was playing for the Tennessee Volunteers women's basketball team, Cooper was involved in a fight in her dorm with her teammate, Jaime Nared.[8] A few months later, Cooper decided she needed to transfer from the Tennessee Volunteers women's basketball team and decided to play for the University of South Carolina.[8] There were no further charges against Cooper, according to the UT Police department.[8] The consequence of her fight caused her to transfer schools and sit out her first year with the University of South Carolina.[8] She played at the University of South Carolina in 2017, where she played for the Gamecocks basketball team in the 2018–2019 season. Cooper averaged 11.9 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game.[9][10] At the University of South Carolina, Cooper received her undergraduate degree in Interdisciplinary Studies.[11] In the 2019–2020 season, she played for the Baylor Lady Bears basketball team as a graduate student. She averaged 13.6 points, 2.3 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game.[12][13][14]

Professional career

On April 17, 2020, the Phoenix Mercury selected Cooper as the 18th pick in the 2020 WNBA Draft.[15][16] Due to the global pandemic from COVID-19, Phoenix Mercury to cut some of their players from the basketball team in May 2020, which included Te'a Cooper.[17] The Los Angeles Sparks team took this as an opportunity to transfer some of the Phoenix Mercury players to play for them, and Cooper was picked to play as a point guard.[17] From her previous college 3-point range (56-of-135 for 41.5%), can prove to the Sparks coach, Derek Fisher, how well of a point guard and shooter she can provide for his team, despite her being a rookie.[17] Cooper continues to gain experience and skills from the other players in the Los Angeles Sparks team.[17] Cooper's current average for about 17 minutes in a game consists of making around 7.3 points and having about 2 assists.[18] On August 13, 2020, the Los Angeles Sparks played against the Washington Mystics, leading Cooper to have one of her best games of the season with 10 points (5-to-6 shooting) with 3 assists, all within 19 minutes of playing time.[19]

Personal life

Te'a Cooper is the daughter of Omar and Kindall Cooper. She has three siblings: Mia (Imani) and twins Sharife and Omar.[20] Her brother Sharife is a point guard for the Auburn University men's basketball team. She is also engaged to Dwight Howard.[21][22] When Cooper played for the Baylor Lady Bears basketball teams, she was interviewed in March 2020 by reporters, and she mentioned to them she plans to invest in modeling and owning her own clothing business.[23] These reporters also asked when her wedding will take place, and she replies, saying, "Not right now, but soon."[23] On August 5, 2020, Cooper could not play against the Indiana Fever because she had an indeterminate COVID-19 test result.[24] After further review, she took a second test a few days later, resulting in her to get back a negative test.[24]

References
  1. "2020 WNBA Draft Profile: Te'a Cooper". wnba.com. Women's National Basketball Association. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  2. Knight, Mandy. "Te'a Cooper's Journey to the WNBA". Fox44news.com. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  3. "Te'a Cooper". espn.com. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  4. "2016-17 Women's Basketball Roster: TE'A COOPER". utsports.com. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  5. "2019-20 Women's Basketball Roster: TE'A COOPER". baylorbears.com. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  6. "2018-19 Women's Basketball Roster: TE'A COOPER". gamescocksonline.com. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  7. "2016-17 Women's Basketball Roster: TE'A COOPER". utsports.com. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  8. "Jimmy's Blog: Cooper transfers after fight with teammate". WNML-AF. 2017-06-20. Retrieved 2020-09-28.
  9. "Te'a Cooper". herosports.com. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  10. "2018-19 Women's Basketball Roster: TE'A COOPER". gamescocksonline.com. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  11. "NOT READY TO HANG 'EM UP". Baylor University Athletics. Retrieved 2020-09-28.
  12. "2019-20 Women's Basketball Roster: TE'A COOPER". baylorbears.com. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  13. "Te'a Cooper". sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  14. Nemchock, Eric. "WNBA Draft Watch 2020: Te'a Cooper breaks out with Baylor". swishappeal.com. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  15. Maloney, Jack. "2020 WNBA Draft winners and losers: Liberty add Sabrina Ionescu with top pick; Wings land talented trio". cbssports.com. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  16. Bernarowski, John. "Former McEachern standout Te'a Cooper selected by Phoenix in WNBA Draft". mdjonline.com. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  17. Merchant, Sabreena (2020-07-20). "The Replacements: What can Te'a Cooper and Reshanda Gray bring to the Sparks?". Silver Screen and Roll. Retrieved 2020-10-03.
  18. "Sparks guard Te'a Cooper cleared to return following inconclusive COVID-19 test". au.news.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2020-10-04.
  19. "Sparks guard Te'a Cooper making her mark as a rookie". Whittier Daily News. 2020-08-14. Retrieved 2020-10-04.
  20. "Te'a Cooper". usab.com. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  21. "2020 WNBA Draft Profile: Te'a Cooper". wnba.com. Women's National Basketball Association. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  22. Littal, Robert. "Dwight Howard Engaged to 21-Year-Old College Basketball Player Te'a Cooper After Accused of Gay Relationship With Masin Elije". blacksportsonline.co. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  23. "NOT READY TO HANG 'EM UP". Baylor University Athletics. Retrieved 2020-09-28.
  24. "Sparks guard Te'a Cooper cleared to return following inconclusive COVID-19 test". au.news.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2020-10-04.
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