Cynthia Cooper: Journey ends in Springfield
In a game dominated by men, Cynthia Cooper defied sexual inferiority and began a journey she never thought golden at that point. Six years after her retirement, Cooper saw her basketball odyssey deservedly end in Springfield, Massachusetts, where she joined fellow basketball immortals in the Naismith Hall of Fame.
Known as WNBA’s first legit superstar, the 5-foot-11 Cooper was nothing but a perfect combo guard prototype: quick, strong on the dribble, and deadly from the perimeter. Her superior basketball skills and cunning ability to get past her opponents were potent until the final stage of her career. For Cooper, her career was not defined by milestones or awards. Instead, it was shaped by the individuals who motivated her to finish her own journey on the right track.
Since her childhood days, Cooper and basketball could not be separated. Though the Coopers did not attain financial flexibility since Cynthia’s father departed them early, her mother never failed to be a good supporter to her. Raising eight children, Mary Cooper worked day and night to sustain the need of her family. Nevertheless, she never forgot her role as a mother. In fact, Cynthia remembered her to be her first coach, guiding her to the right path and fueling her passion for the game.
Coming from South Central Los Angeles, Cooper enrolled at Locke High School, where she started to play prep ball. In four years at Locke, Cooper utterly dominated the competition, averaging 31 points per game. She eventually led the team to California State Championship (4A) and became one of the hottest prospects in her senior year.
After receiving offers from several college basketball programs, Cooper decided to stay home and committed to USC. With the Trojans, Cooper quickly became a sensation, leading them to two consecutive National Championships in 1983 and 1984. Cooper then finished her college career as USC’s all-time leading scorer, ahead of another future Hall of Famer: Lisa Leslie.
Cooper’s accomplishment at USC drew attention from teams abroad and the national basketball body. In 1987, Cooper joined a handful of amateur standouts as they crushed the competing field at the Pan American Games in Indiana. She then captured an Olympic gold medal the following year in South Korea and a bronze at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
Since the WNBA wasn’t yet founded until 1996, Cooper spent most of her career in Europe, particularly in Spain and Italy. In 10 years in the Italian League, Cooper demonstrated overwhelming scoring prowess, topping everybody in scoring for eight consecutive seasons.
By the time WNBA was created, Cooper, in her 30s, needed a reliable teammate or two who can provide her a much needed offensive support in Houston. Cooper found out that kind of talent in fellow team USA standouts Sheryl Swoops and Tina Thompson. Together, the three powered the Comets to four consecutive WNBA titles, including the first WNBA championship.
In spite of her advanced age, Cooper never slowed down and stayed productive for the last four years of her career. From 1997 to 2000, Cooper averaged 21.75 with 580 dishes. Her terrific performance in the first two seasons with the Comets (22.2 ppg with 131 assists in 1997; 22.7 ppg with 131 assists in 1998) earned her two consecutive WNBA MVP awards. Moreover, Cooper was named Finals MVP in all of the four championship series she played, a feat still unmatched today. Although her brief return in 2003 did not turn successful due to injuries, the legacy she made throughout her entire basketball career was certainly beyond compare.
Last week, Cooper secured her place as the first WNBA player inducted to the basketball Hall of Fame. In her acceptance speech, Cooper gave thanks to her mother for all her sacrifices and also to her Comets teammates (especially Swoops and Thompson) for helping her build a lasting dynasty in Houston. After all the hits and misses, Cooper emphatically proved that women can also be great in the game.
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