 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1997-04-16)April 16, 1997 (age 27) Newark, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) |
| Listed weight | 160 lb (73 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | McEachern (Powder Springs, Georgia) |
| College |
|
| WNBA draft | 2020: 2nd round, 18th overall pick |
| Selected by thePhoenix Mercury | |
| Playing career | 2020–present |
| Position | Point guard |
| Career history | |
| 2020–2021 | Los Angeles Sparks |
| 2025 | Tarbes Gespe Bigorre |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Stats atBasketball Reference  | |
Te'a Omari Cooper (born April 16, 1997) is an American professionalbasketball player who played for theLos Angeles Sparks of theWomen's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She playedcollege basketball for theBaylor Lady Bears,South Carolina Gamecocks, and theTennessee Volunteers.[1][2]
Cooper played high school basketball forMcEachern High School.[3] In her freshman year,McEachern High School was undefeated as they finished 33–0. She shot 65 percent from the field. 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.
On April 17, 2020, thePhoenix Mercury selected Cooper as the 18th pick in the2020 WNBA draft.[4][5] Due to the global pandemic from COVID-19,Phoenix Mercury were forced to cut some of their players from the team in May 2020, including Te'a Cooper.[6] TheLos Angeles Sparks team took this as an opportunity to transfer some of thePhoenix Mercury players to play for them, and Cooper was picked to play as a point guard.[6] 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.[6] Cooper continues to gain experience and skills from the other players in theLos Angeles Sparks team.[6] Cooper's current average for about 17 minutes in a game consists of making around 7.3 points and having about 2 assists.[7] On August 13, 2020, theLos Angeles Sparks played against theWashington Mystics, leading Cooper to have one of her best games of the season with 10 points (5-of-6 shooting) with 3 assists, all within 19 minutes of playing time.[8] After a 3-year hiatus, she would make her return to professional basketball in December 2024 by signing withTarbes Gespe Bigorre of aFrench Women's Basketball League for the 2025 season.[9][10][11]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game | RPG | Rebounds per game |
| APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game | BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
| TO | Turnovers per game | FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| Bold | Career best | ° | League leader |
| WNBA record |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Los Angeles | 20 | 3 | 17.0 | .451 | .344 | .765 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 7.0 |
| 2021 | Los Angeles | 31 | 13 | 22.0 | .379 | .324 | .750 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 1.8 | 9.1 |
| Career | 51 | 16 | 20.1 | .401 | .330 | .754 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 1.7 | 8.2 |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Los Angeles | 1 | 0 | 21.0 | .250 | .500 | .000 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| Career | 1 | 0 | 21.0 | .250 | .500 | .000 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
Source[12]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | Points | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | Tennessee | 36 | 311 | 36.9% | 26.0% | 72.2% | 1.9 | 2.1 | 1.2 | - | 8.6 |
| 2016-17 | Tennessee | Medical redshirt[13] | |||||||||
| 2017-18 | South Carolina | Sat due to NCAA transfer rules[13] | |||||||||
| 2018-19 | South Carolina | 30 | 357 | 42.9% | 28.9% | 76.2% | 2.5 | 2.2 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 11.9 |
| 2019-20 | Baylor | 30 | 408 | 43.8% | 41.5% | 73.0% | 2.3 | 4.6 | 1.9 | 0.1 | 13.6 |
| Career | 96 | 1076 | 41.2% | 33.2% | 74.1% | 2.2 | 2.9 | 1.4 | 0.1 | 11.2 | |
Te'a Cooper is the daughter of Omar and Kindall Cooper. She has three siblings: Mia (Imani) and twinsSharife and Omar. Sharife was drafted by theAtlanta Hawks in 2021.
Te'a datedDwight Howard and the pair became engaged in 2019. In 2021, Cooper and Howard parted ways. Cooper once datedNew Orleans Saints running backAlvin Kamara.[14] Cooper and Kamara welcomed a baby girl, Stori Kamara, on December 25, 2022.
Media related toTe'a Cooper at Wikimedia Commons