American · Chicago, USA · Born 14 April 1966Houston Comets guard who won four consecutive WNBA championships from 1997 to 2000 and was named Finals MVP all four times, a dominant streak unmatched in the league's history.
At 33 — an age when most players are winding down — Cooper joined the Houston Comets for the WNBA's inaugural season and won the championship and Finals MVP in each of the league's first four years, the most dominant opening stretch any player has produced at the start of a professional basketball league.. She spent much of her prime playing years overseas, unable to pursue a professional career in the United States before the WNBA's founding, winning championships in Spain and Italy across an eight-year stint with Basket Parma. Cooper joined the Houston Comets for the WNBA's inaugural 1997 season at 33 years old, and delivered one of the most dominant runs in the sport's history, winning the league's first four championships and being named Finals MVP in every one of them, alongside back-to-back regular-season MVP awards in 1997 and 1998. Cooper retired in 2000, briefly returned in 2003, and was inducted into both the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, with the Houston Comets retiring her No. 14 and USC retiring her No. 44. Cooper moved into coaching after retiring, leading programs at Prairie View A&M, UNC Wilmington, her alma mater USC, and Texas Southern across two decades, continuing to shape the sport whose professional stage she helped establish at its very outset.
First WNBA superstar and four-time Finals MVP
How They Played
Explosive scorer and clutch performer with exceptional leadership
Lasting Impact
Pioneer who helped establish the WNBA as a viable professional league
Career Honours
- WNBA Champion 1997,1998,1999,2000
- WNBA Finals MVP 1997,1998,1999,2000
- Olympic Gold 1988
| Club | Period | Apps |
|---|---|---|
| Houston Comets | 1997–2000 | 120 |
American Athletes