(Photo courtesy of the LA Sparks)
Los Angeles Sparks guard Te’a Cooper has always understood the importance of giving.
“It’s always good to be selfless,” Cooper told rolling out. “Give back and be there for others as you would want [others] to be there for yourself.”
On Nov. 30, as a part of Giving Tuesday, Cooper teamed up with the DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation to virtually surprise a group of young athletes at a Los Angeles-based nonprofit as on-site affiliates helped hand out free sports equipment to youth sports organizations throughout America. The foundation is giving out 10,000 gifts of free sports equipment during the campaign.
“It’s a day for giving, and I think you should be helping out if you can,” Cooper said. “Be thankful and give back.”
The point guard and social media influencer with over 1 million Instagram followers, said anyone who wants to donate to the DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation can do so at the store checkout or sportsmatter.org.
Cooper also pointed how showing an occasional act of kindness never hurt anyone, especially in the current COVID-19 pandemic. She also noted brightening someone else’s day is a good reason to give.
“Make someone else happy, make someone else smile,” Cooper said. “You never know what somebody’s going through.”
In her second season with the Sparks, Cooper averaged 9.7 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game. In the final three games of the regular season, as the Sparks pushed for the final playoff spot, she averaged 19 points and 3.3 assists. She has spent the off-season in Los Angeles, New Orleans, and plans to spend time in Dallas as well before the WNBA returns next spring.
