Te’a Cooper had everything going for herself. She’s won on every level of basketball and worked to become a rotational guard in the WNBA. Cooper’s rise in the league made for a good story because the team that drafted her, the Phoenix Mercury, had to waive her before her rookie season due to a lack of roster space. It’s a harsh reality many women’s basketball players deal with year-round, but it was a fait accompli until this past May.
At the end of the Los Angeles Sparks‘ training camp and days before her third WNBA season started, Cooper was waived again. There were many shocking preseason cuts in the WNBA before the 2022 season, but few made bigger waves around the basketball world than Cooper and fellow former Sparks guard Arella Guirantes not making the final rosters. Derek Fisher, the former team general manager and coach who made the decision, was fired in the middle of the season.
On the court, Cooper is a tough bucket with a high basketball IQ. Off the court, she rivals A’ja Wilson as the most marketable athlete in professional women’s basketball. At the 2022 Revolt Summit in Atlanta, Cooper discussed how she’s leveraged her social-media popularity for sources of income and how women’s sports can continue to progress. After the panel with Ashley Nicole Moss, Cooper stopped by rolling out to update her fans on how life’s been since being cut.
What has the offseason been like?
The offseason has been good. I mean, the last situation I had didn’t go as planned, but I had a lot of time to grow and work on myself. I think with a lot of isolation comes growth, so I’ve been able to do that. And I think the time was needed. Now, I’m ready for the season.
What can you and Arella bring to teams around the league?
Shout out to Arella, that’s my dawg. Recently, she was hooping [in the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup] for Puerto Rico. I’m super proud of her, she’s playing well. That’s the Arella I know, and she deserves to be on a team just as much as me.
I hope she comes back, and the same thing happens for her.
Oakland wants to expand the WNBA and get a team. If the city was to get a team, who are your starting five players currently not on teams right now?
I don’t even know who’s not in the league other than myself and AG, so I’d say me and AG are going to Oakland.
What was your favorite part of the panel?
I learned about fencing. I didn’t have any idea about that. [Ibtihaj Muhammad] brought that to my attention. The fact she’s going against men and winning [with] USA Olympic gold medals, I think that’s powerful and I support it.
