WNBA Legend Cynthia Cooper: The Mind of a 4-Time Champion | SWAY’S UNIVERSE

0:00
Yo, man. I love hearing that clip.
0:02
>> Wow.
0:03
>> Shout out to Lonnie Ali for finding that
0:04
one because
0:05
>> Yeah.
0:06
>> to understand the mind of a champion, to
0:09
understand the mind of people who break
0:11
barriers, people who crush through
0:14
ceilings, folks who become the greatest
0:16
at what they do. Sometimes we watch this
0:18
happen, we watch people move so
0:20
gracefully,
0:21
>> Yeah.
0:21
>> and we don't understand the hard work
0:23
and the vigor and the commitment and the
0:25
discipline that went into making these
0:27
people who they are.
0:28
>> Absolutely.
0:29
>> And I remember watching this person play
0:31
on the court and going, "Wow, she's the
0:33
first woman that I'm calling out name
0:36
when I make a jump shot." You know, when
0:38
I go to the key and I drive through the
0:39
hole,
0:40
>> Wow.
0:40
>> you know, to you know, cuz we used to
0:42
say, "Kobe!" Or we'll say, "Jordan!" And
0:45
then we start saying her name, and
0:46
rightfully so when you read her
0:48
accolades. Let me put my glasses on for
0:50
this one, A-Town.
0:51
>> A-Town, cuz the ackies are crazy.
0:53
>> You want to do it? You want to do it? Go
0:54
ahead.
0:54
>> No, listen, I won't miss one detail.
0:58
Four-time WNBA champion. That reign went
1:01
down '97 to '02. Four-time WNBA
1:06
Finals MVP. Two-time WNBA Most Valuable
1:10
Player. Now you got the Olympic gold
1:11
medal. You got the Olympic bronze medal.
1:13
You got the Naismith Memorial Basketball
1:16
Hall of Fame. You got the Houston Sports
1:18
Hall of Fame. Led the WNBA in scoring
1:21
three consecutive seasons. Do y'all
1:24
understand how ridiculously hard that
1:27
is?
1:28
>> Come on.
1:28
>> Played professionally in Spain and Italy
1:31
for 10 years leading the Italian league
1:33
in scoring eight times. Won back-to-back
1:36
NCAA championships at USC and founder of
1:40
the G2G basketball training, mentoring,
1:44
and developing. That's the word. Young
1:46
athletes through clinics and community
1:48
programs. And now we add to this amazing
1:52
decorated resume, game and studio
1:54
analyst for Prime Video WNBA coverage.
1:58
THE ONE, THE ONLY, [screaming] COOP!
2:01
>> COOP!
2:01
>> Cynthia Cooper is here, standing up,
2:03
baby.
2:04
>> Absolutely.
2:04
>> to stand up.
2:05
>> With E.
2:06
>> Cynthia Cooper is in the building.
2:09
>> I appreciate you guys. You guys are
2:10
great. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
2:13
>> I'm mad.
2:13
>> Hey, listen. Listen.
2:15
Sway, I'm in Sway's universe and I'm
2:17
still not passing him the ball.
2:19
>> I'M JUST
2:20
>> I JUST I'M JUST SAYING. I'M SAYING
2:22
THAT'S NOT MY ROLE.
2:23
>> But what you mean that's not your
2:25
>> It's a team sport.
2:26
>> It is. When they double and triple team
2:28
me, you know, sometimes I have to make
2:30
the decision on whether your shot is
2:32
better than my shot.
2:33
And I'm 90 No, I'm going
2:36
>> You well
2:36
>> 95
2:37
>> You 90 that's a high number. You never
2:39
see my
2:40
>> 5% of the time, I'm going to CALL MY
2:42
NAME.
2:43
>> [laughter]
2:45
>> THAT MAN. THAT'S THE MIND OF A goat
2:48
though. That's the mind of a goat.
2:49
>> And a champion.
2:50
>> And congratulations, man. Gaming studio
2:52
analyst for Prime Video. Uh I know
2:55
you're going to be covering the 2026
2:57
that WNBA Commissioner's Cup
2:59
Championship. That's Tuesday, June 30th,
3:02
Liberty against the Aces. This is a Is
3:04
this a new role in your life?
3:07
>> Well, I've done analyst work before.
3:09
>> All right.
3:09
>> Um but not analyst work where we're
3:11
broadcasting in over 200 con just 200
3:15
countries.
3:16
>> Crazy.
3:16
>> Like it's all over the place. I just
3:18
recently saw one of my ex-teammates um
3:20
from the Houston Comets, she's uh she
3:23
plays in Spain. Well, she lives in
3:25
Spain. Um she was in Houston and she
3:27
wanted me to come by and say hi and she
3:29
just praised the coverage on Prime
3:32
because she saw some of the studio
3:34
broadcast and the games broadcasted on
3:36
Prime from Spain. And so, it's we're in
3:39
all we're all over the world. We're not
3:42
just local, we're not just in America.
3:44
And so, that's global basketball.
3:47
>> Yeah.
3:47
>> That's what you get when you are an
3:49
analyst or you know, play-by-play for
3:52
Prime. Um and so we're excited to do the
3:55
Commissioner's Cup and we're always
3:57
excited to do the finals.
3:58
>> Yeah.
3:59
>> Right. So we're we're going to be we're
4:01
going to be in the in the building.
4:02
>> Uh-huh.
4:03
>> Wow.
4:03
>> Out in New York and um you know, Swin
4:05
Cash,
4:06
>> Uh-huh.
4:06
>> Candace Parker,
4:07
>> Yes.
4:08
>> Alyssa Thomas, Layshia Clarendon,
4:09
>> Come on.
4:09
>> LaChina Robinson, and of course your
4:11
Shaulee.
4:12
>> Hey.
4:13
>> [screaming]
4:16
>> All right, man. Well, I want to get
4:17
straight to it. I want to play this clip
4:19
because I love your your the way you
4:21
analyze the game and I was watching this
4:24
clip of Stephanie White, coach of the
4:26
Fever, and she
4:29
she was extremely upset about what
4:31
happened in the game with Caitlin Clark
4:33
and and and how she felt that there were
4:36
some serious calls that were being
4:37
missed and this has been all over the
4:39
news right now. Torche, can we play back
4:41
the clip of what she said?
4:43
>> Yes, sir.
4:45
>> You're coming in here aware of what
4:46
happened two nights ago?
4:49
And that still happens?
4:52
Absolutely unacceptable.
4:54
Absolutely unacceptable.
4:57
And the reckless closeout that they
4:58
actually reviewed
5:00
and the foot still comes down on top of
5:02
the defender's foot that wasn't
5:04
upgraded?
5:05
Absolutely disrespectful.
5:09
We have
5:10
a generational talent and a WNBA
5:12
superstar
5:14
who had two cheap shots right there
5:16
that weren't called.
5:19
And I just say again, absolutely
5:21
unacceptable.
5:26
>> Wow, what are your thoughts on I mean I
5:29
you know, you you've been you've been
5:31
you would before there was Caitlin Clark
5:33
Angel Reese or any of these players,
5:35
there was you. You was the generational
5:37
player. You was the player of the era.
5:39
But we've been hearing so much
5:40
controversy around referees and the
5:43
calls. What is your thought about how
5:45
she responded to what happened on the
5:47
court with Caitlin Clark.
5:48
>> Yeah, I I understand a coach being upset
5:50
that a play her player has been put
5:53
being put in danger
5:55
twisting an ankle
5:57
getting injured and being done for the
5:59
rest of the season and not only do does
6:01
her team need it but the league needs to
6:04
see her wants to see Caitlin Clark on
6:06
the court. So I understand the
6:07
frustration from coach White. Me
6:10
personally, you know, I've been in
6:12
situations where I didn't get the call.
6:14
And um and I've come down on people foot
6:17
or I've come down on a foot or I've I've
6:19
been knee'd in the thigh or I've been I
6:22
thought
6:24
excessively physical play
6:27
but you know, I'm from Watts.
6:28
Hallelujah.
6:29
>> Okay, what does that mean exactly?
6:31
>> I was
6:31
>> [laughter]
6:33
>> that I've been hit before.
6:34
>> Okay.
6:35
>> And had to get up, right? And I think if
6:37
you turn that negative sentiment into
6:40
something positive and as a motivating
6:42
factor whenever you go out on the court,
6:44
I think that does something positive to
6:46
your game. It does something positive to
6:48
your team and now you're ready to
6:50
battle, right? You're ready to battle
6:52
you're ready for the battle. So you're
6:54
ready for someone to come underneath
6:55
you. You're ready for somebody to be
6:57
extra physical. Now you're you're using
6:59
that against them. You're using that
7:00
momentum against them and now you're
7:02
performing. Right? You're bringing your
7:04
A game. You don't bring a B game to a A
7:06
party.
7:07
You come to play. Right? And so I think
7:10
that it goes both ways, right? So if you
7:12
know teams are playing you a certain way
7:14
then you have to be able to adjust as a
7:16
professional player.
7:17
And then as a as a official you have to
7:20
be able to adjust to to the way teams
7:22
are playing star players. And you have
7:25
to protect your stars in the game of
7:28
basketball in the game of women's
7:30
basketball. So I understand the
7:32
frustration. Now let's get back to work.
7:34
>> Let's get back to work. Cynthia Cooper
7:35
is here MY TEAMMATE.
7:37
>> [laughter]
7:39
>> WELL CYNTHIA, LET'S CONTINUE the
7:41
conversation about women's basketball
7:43
because if you can go back to 97 and
7:46
what it looked like in the WNBA
7:49
especially draft night, right? Because
7:51
now we just watched the NBA and in draft
7:55
night we're all gathered around our
7:56
televisions and I watched it you know
7:58
most recently with the women now being
8:00
drafted so I mentioned Caitlin Clark the
8:02
Angel Reese the Flau'jae's we're
8:04
watching these women coming out of
8:05
college and supporting them and they're
8:07
doing numbers and I'm wondering what it
8:09
looked like in 96 97 and then talk about
8:13
the difference and what the finals look
8:14
like in the numbers and the audiences
8:16
and now you're covering the finals this
8:18
year which tell us how your world has
8:21
changed seeing both sides of it.
8:22
>> Yeah, I mean first off let me just give
8:25
a shout out to the new CBA because
8:26
they're getting paid now so that's a
8:28
huge difference even going back to
8:31
to the former players as well. Yeah,
8:33
absolutely so for me it was a little
8:36
different because it was the beginning
8:37
of a league so a lot of players were
8:39
assigned different places. I was
8:41
assigned Houston
8:43
and I was assigned Houston mostly
8:44
because Sheryl Swoopes was pregnant. Now
8:47
I had nothing to do with that. Okay,
8:49
>> [laughter]
8:50
>> all I saw WAS AN OPPORTUNITY
8:52
>> RIGHT.
8:53
>> A door that open
8:54
>> Uh-huh.
8:55
>> for a score.
8:56
>> Yes.
8:57
>> I know how to score.
8:58
>> Mhm.
8:58
>> Choose me.
8:59
So they chose me
9:00
>> Mhm.
9:01
>> and I commenced to trying to put on a
9:03
show and bring my A game every single
9:06
night so that we can lay the foundation
9:09
for what we're seeing today.
9:11
For little girls being able to dream of
9:13
playing professional basketball because
9:15
that's what's happened. Now that they're
9:17
able to dream of playing professional
9:18
basketball now they're starting earlier.
9:21
They're preparing sooner. They're
9:23
getting their game right. Their skill
9:25
set is higher and that and now you see
9:27
that in college a higher skill set and
9:30
now a higher skill set is coming to the
9:32
W every time there's a draft every year
9:36
a new level of talent is coming. And can
9:38
we give a shout out to Angel Reese?
9:40
>> Angel Reese.
9:42
>> Because what Angel Reese has done
9:44
she has just she's just gotten better.
9:47
Like everyone complained about the knee
9:49
bounce and all of this she just got
9:51
better. She started finishing around the
9:53
rim. She started taking you off the
9:54
dribble. She's perfecting her
9:56
three-point shot. She is the epitome of
9:59
a professional player who comes in the
10:02
league one way with one skill set and
10:04
adds and to that skill set and gets
10:06
better every single season. That's what
10:10
a professional that's what you're seeing
10:11
now in the WNBA. That's why the finals
10:14
here on the 30th at 7:00 Eastern
10:18
Standard Time, right? They're going to
10:19
be so special because you have two teams
10:21
like the Liberty.
10:22
>> Yeah.
10:23
>> The Liberty incredible talent,
10:24
incredible roster and now you have the
10:27
Aces. Now you guys know about y'all
10:29
heard y'all heard Asia Asia Wilson name.
10:32
>> Yes.
10:33
>> Y'all heard of of the guard.
10:34
>> Come on.
10:35
>> Chelsea Gray.
10:36
>> Come on.
10:36
>> Y'all heard of Jackson Jackie Young.
10:39
Y'all y'all heard of these players,
10:41
right? The when you start looking at
10:43
Stewie and
10:45
Jonquel Jones from New York and you
10:47
start looking at Sabrina
10:49
she just got back, right? And so
10:52
there's going to be some talent
10:53
displayed in this championship game
10:56
that next that's next level and that's
10:58
what we're looking for.
10:59
>> I love it, man.
11:00
>> Cynthia Cooper is here. COOP PASS
11:03
>> [screaming]
11:03
>> PASS
11:04
pass me the ball, Coop.
11:06
>> No, I yes. Okay, ONCE.
11:08
>> OKAY, THANKS.
11:08
>> [laughter]
11:10
>> TRACEY I'MMA PASS IT TO YOU CUZ YOU
11:12
WASN'T GOING TO GET IT. YOU'RE RIGHT
11:13
NEXT TO HER.
11:14
>> [laughter]
11:15
>> COOP, I'M WONDERING WHEN YOU HAD
11:17
mentioned how Watts taught you how to
11:19
get hit and how to come back up, right?
11:21
And how it played a role in your
11:22
resilience. I'm wondering how being one
11:25
of eight kids with a single mama at home
11:29
how that helped to play into not only
11:32
who you are as a player, but also who
11:34
you are as a woman.
11:35
>> Well, great question. Great, great
11:37
question. So, that my experience as a
11:40
child growing up with uh seven siblings
11:42
and a mom who it seemed like worked for
11:44
24 hours a day because she worked so
11:46
much, we almost never saw her between
11:49
school and extracurricular activities,
11:51
right? And so, I I will say that taught
11:54
me perseverance. It taught me how to get
11:56
up.
11:56
>> Mhm.
11:57
>> And and then being part of one of, you
11:59
know, eight kids, it taught me how to If
12:01
you want to If you want to do If you
12:04
want to set yourself apart, you have to
12:05
do something special.
12:06
>> Mhm.
12:07
>> If you want to set yourself apart, you
12:08
have to do something special and it
12:10
doesn't include complaining.
12:12
>> Mhm.
12:12
>> It doesn't cuz don't nobody want to hear
12:14
it cuz they're all in the same situation
12:16
you're in.
12:17
So, you have to
12:19
persevere, be determined, be willing to
12:22
work through issues, be solution-based.
12:24
>> Mhm.
12:25
>> Don't focus on the issue. Don't focus on
12:27
the problem. Don't focus on the
12:28
obstacle. Focus on the solution.
12:30
And when you put your energy in the
12:32
right place, success happens.
12:34
>> Boom.
12:34
>> And that's what I was able to learn
12:36
growing up in a family of eight sibl- uh
12:38
seven siblings, uh eight kids, and a mom
12:42
that a single mom working working hard
12:45
to raise those eight kids. And and so,
12:48
taught me not to complain, but to seek
12:50
out solutions to problems and obstacles,
12:53
and to be focused.
12:54
>> Amen.
12:55
>> Be focused. You can't You can't step off
12:58
your path when you in Watts cuz anything
13:00
can happen when you step off that path.
13:01
>> That's true.
13:02
>> Right? So, so you have to be You know
13:04
you're surrounded by gangs and drugs,
13:06
but at the end of the day, they were my
13:08
family, too. So, when I walked back from
13:11
the bus stop after basketball practice,
13:13
they would protect me. They make sure I
13:15
got to my front door. You know, they
13:17
they say "Yo, Coop play basketball."
13:19
Yeah, she trying to do something.
13:20
>> The hood protected you.
13:21
>> The hood protected me.
13:22
>> That's an important story to share.
13:24
>> Watts's up. Watts's up.
13:25
>> That's right.
13:25
>> [laughter]
13:26
>> WATTS'S IN THE BUILDING.
13:28
>> WATTS'S IN THE BUILDING.
13:29
>> in the building. Why you just threw up
13:30
something right
13:31
>> Yeah, she threw up.
13:31
>> I threw up the what?
13:32
>> Who he said tripping Sway why she can't?
13:34
>> I'm just saying she's SIMPLY A CO-HOST.
13:36
>> [laughter]
13:37
>> I'M JUST ME, RIGHT?
13:39
Uh so in the I'm I'm thinking back in
13:41
the '90s when you were with the
13:42
Comments, right? And then I'm I'm going
13:44
back to '97, '98, '99.
13:47
The Screwed Up Click movement. Screwed
13:50
Up music was big back then.
13:51
>> Big.
13:52
>> Were you listening to the Screwed Up
13:54
Click or what you listening
13:55
>> To be honest with you, I'm too old for
13:56
the Screwed Up Click but I used to
13:58
listen to it because it it was playing
14:00
on the radio and that sort of thing. I
14:02
used to listen to it but that's not what
14:03
got me hyped.
14:04
>> Uh-huh.
14:05
>> What got me hyped was motivational
14:06
music.
14:07
>> Okay.
14:07
>> Oh.
14:08
>> I had everything in my repertoire so I
14:10
was listening to gospel, a little bit of
14:12
country cuz you know country country
14:14
they'll tell a story for in the whole
14:16
song is from the beginning to the end.
14:18
They'll tell you how the lady got got
14:20
got hurt and then she healed
14:22
>> [laughter]
14:22
>> and then she
14:23
and then she got her horse and she made
14:25
it to the party.
14:26
>> Right.
14:27
>> Yes. They'll they'll tell you the whole
14:29
story. So um my music you know, I was so
14:32
hyped for games
14:33
that I really needed something to kind
14:35
of calm me down cuz I was ready to go
14:38
because I felt like this was an
14:39
opportunity that they gave me.
14:42
>> Right.
14:42
>> They let me come back to America,
14:44
>> Mhm.
14:45
>> play basketball
14:47
in front of my family and my friends
14:49
that I lost touch touch with.
14:51
>> Mhm.
14:51
>> And they paid me.
14:52
>> Yeah.
14:53
>> Right.
14:53
>> I'm like, I'm in. I'll do it.
14:55
>> Easy.
14:56
>> Say say less. Say less. It's interesting
14:57
that Sway brought up music and
14:59
especially back in the '90s because
15:01
there was a time especially for me even
15:03
as a female artist, um getting pregnant
15:06
was like taboo. That kind of meant like
15:09
your career was over. So I'm thinking
15:11
about the WNBA and women in playing
15:13
basketball and you mentioned Swoopes and
15:15
whatnot. Was that kind of the mentality
15:18
in the W as well with women in
15:20
basketball like getting pregnant? Oh my
15:21
gosh, like now your career is over, you
15:23
got to fight so much harder to get back.
15:26
>> Yeah, I mean, if you talk to DeWanna
15:28
Bonner Canby from
15:30
she was formerly with the Aces and then
15:33
she she had a child. She ended up going
15:35
coming to the Los Angeles Sparks. So
15:39
I think that there was a stigma of
15:41
you're professional, you need to protect
15:43
your body, but we're we're women and
15:46
there's nothing wrong with having a
15:48
child and then getting back to business.
15:50
>> There you go. Come on. [applause]
15:51
>> You know, we can do that. Listen, y'all.
15:53
Listen, y'all. Sorry, sorry, fellas. We
15:55
strong now.
15:56
>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
15:57
Yeah.
15:57
>> Now we strong. We run the whole
15:59
household. We go to work. We come home.
16:01
We run the household. We have babies. We
16:03
jump back to it.
16:04
And so I think there isn't as much of a
16:07
stigma now.
16:08
>> Now, right.
16:09
>> But back then in the in the '90s, yes,
16:11
there there was more of a stigma. And
16:13
also, you know,
16:15
there was this unfair comparison, like,
16:17
okay, this is a this is a sport. This is
16:20
a professional sport. You're not
16:21
allowed. It was almost like you're not
16:23
allowed to get pregnant. And and that
16:25
just shouldn't have been the case and it
16:27
definitely isn't the case now.
16:28
>> Cynthia Cooper is here, man. Give a big
16:31
round of applause. And you can check her
16:34
out Tuesday, June 30th. She'll be
16:36
broadcasting Prime Video coverage of the
16:38
2026 WNBA Commissioner's Cup
16:41
Championship, June 30th, Liberty against
16:44
the Aces.
16:45
>> Crazy.
16:45
>> Make sure you tune in to that. When I
16:47
look at your career and I I see the
16:50
Olympic Games. I see the NCAA
16:52
Championships. I see the WNBA Finals.
16:56
All of these big platforms, these
16:58
magnificent milestone moments in one
17:01
career.
17:02
I'm curious, when you look back at it,
17:04
did did one tournament get a better
17:07
version Which tournament got the best
17:08
version of Cynthia Cooper?
17:10
>> Oh, that's a great question, Sway. So, I
17:13
will say
17:14
Italy got the best version of Cynthia. I
17:19
I I will tell you when I was doing my
17:21
interview with my former player Maya and
17:24
she had a film crew. They had pulled up
17:26
an article
17:27
that
17:28
I had had 62 points in a game.
17:31
>> Damn.
17:31
>> And [clears throat]
17:32
that was Cynthia Cooper at 25, 26. I
17:35
came in the WNBA at 35.
17:38
>> Wow.
17:38
>> And so and we still enjoyed a lot OF
17:41
SUCCESS. [laughter]
17:41
>> WOW.
17:43
>> DID YOU START PLAYING AT 16?
17:45
>> I started playing at at 15, 16 years
17:47
old. Yes.
17:48
>> Wow.
17:48
>> So when I got to USC with Cheryl Miller
17:51
and the McGee twins, I'd only been
17:52
playing basketball for 3 years.
17:54
>> That's crazy.
17:55
>> Yeah, so but when you put in the work
17:57
>> Yeah.
17:58
>> and you're you're vested
18:00
>> Yes.
18:00
>> and you're focused and you're driven
18:02
>> Mhm.
18:02
>> and you don't let obstacles stop you,
18:04
you use them as stepping stones, then
18:07
you mean really the sky's the limit. I
18:09
know so I would say Italy got the best
18:11
version of me.
18:12
>> Mhm.
18:13
>> USA Basketball got a really good version
18:15
of me.
18:15
>> Mhm.
18:16
>> Um I think the WNBA got a mature version
18:19
of me but I still have my in and out my
18:22
ridiculous jab step
18:24
>> Come on.
18:24
>> My first step was
18:26
>> Talk your talk.
18:27
>> Yeah, man. They would I had a couple
18:29
people, you know, just tap dancing
18:31
trying to stay in front of me.
18:32
>> Mhm. [laughter]
18:33
>> Just
18:33
eight. Bring me bring your A game. Don't
18:36
don't come to the WNBA with no C or B
18:39
game. You got to come to play.
18:41
>> Yeah.
18:41
>> And and and I will tell you so now all
18:44
of my Italian family, all of my people
18:47
from Spain, they get a chance to see us
18:49
on Amazon Prime, right? Streaming the
18:51
games all over the world. So now they
18:53
get a chance to say, "Hey, that lady
18:55
right there?"
18:56
>> Yeah.
18:56
>> She played over here. That's where she
18:59
got her game from,
19:00
they claiming it. They claiming it,
19:02
right? Because they get a chance to see
19:04
me broadcast as analyst in in studio on
19:08
on Prime and that's that's amazing.
19:10
>> You're amazing. Cynthia Cooper is here.
19:12
888-742-3345.
19:14
We got Gable. Is it Gabe in St. Louis?
19:17
Is it Gable?
19:19
>> Yeah, it's Gable.
19:21
>> Gable in St. Louis.
19:22
Citizens call up. You want to talk with
19:24
Cynthia. What's up, man? How you doing?
19:28
>> I'm doing great. How are y'all doing
19:29
today?
19:30
>> We sitting next to the goat, homie.
19:32
Who you sitting next to?
19:34
>> I know [clears throat] I'm excited.
19:35
[laughter] I'm excited. I can't
19:37
I honestly I I can't even believe that
19:39
I'm about to ask you a question right
19:41
now. This shit's crazy. But um
19:43
so uh Cynthia um
19:46
first question uh what was your dynamic
19:49
like with Cheryl Miller and how did you
19:51
guys like really get over that hump? You
19:54
know, they say you're the like Shaq and
19:56
Kobe of you know, the WNBA and
19:59
everything like that and I just want to
20:00
know
20:01
what was the competitive nature like
20:03
between you guys like truly?
20:07
>> Gable, great question. I will tell you
20:10
I will tell you it was it was uh
20:13
intense.
20:14
It was intense because I'm going to tell
20:16
you I was a little raw around the edges.
20:18
I know it's hard to believe that I was
20:20
rough.
20:22
Yeah, I didn't know what I didn't know
20:23
at the time and Cheryl I came from Watts
20:26
and Cheryl came from Riverside. So I'm
20:28
like you from the suburbs. You can't
20:29
play no ball.
20:31
I ain't I ain't believe the hype. I'm
20:33
like prove it to me.
20:34
>> [laughter]
20:35
>> You know, so I had an attitude and I saw
20:37
her practice the first time and I all I
20:39
could think about is oh my god.
20:42
>> Underestimated.
20:44
>> [laughter]
20:45
>> She's great. Of course I just thought
20:47
that.
20:48
>> rebound and the layup?
20:49
>> [laughter]
20:49
>> It was the rebound and the layup above
20:51
the rim. It was playing both sides of
20:54
the
20:55
playing both sides of the ball. Her
20:56
energy. She came to work. She didn't
20:58
just like stand on no no pedestal. She
21:01
was like yo, I'm I'm rolling up my
21:02
sleeves. I'm getting to work. She would
21:04
go to the rim. She He the first player.
21:06
I mean, we see a lot of players at her
21:08
size shooting threes now, but she was
21:10
the first player to really shoot the
21:12
three-pointer and to score on all three
21:14
levels, three-pointer, mid-range, and
21:16
get to the rim. Right? She was that
21:18
first player to do that. And all I could
21:20
remember thinking was
21:22
Coop, you got to get better.
21:23
>> Damn.
21:24
>> Oh my god.
21:25
>> Mhm. Right.
21:25
>> Like you got to get She's She's so much
21:27
better than you. You got to get better.
21:29
So, I went back to work. So, there were
21:31
some tense moments there. Remember,
21:33
nobody really knows this. I came off the
21:35
bench at USC. I didn't start.
21:37
>> Oh.
21:38
>> So, now I'm practicing against the McGee
21:40
twins and Cheryl Miller every single
21:42
day.
21:44
That's how I got better. Cuz I had to
21:46
step up my game. I saw what they were
21:47
doing. I knew I had to go back to work.
21:50
I didn't blame it on the coach. I said I
21:52
looked myself in the mirror and said you
21:53
got to get better.
21:54
>> Mhm.
21:55
>> And that's what happened.
21:56
>> what happened.
21:56
>> Gable, thank you for your question, man.
21:58
You're a super citizen.
22:00
>> That's Wayne in the morning.
22:00
>> Great question, and people are starting
22:02
to blow up the phone lines right now.
22:04
888-742-333-45.
22:07
You know, I've been Heather and I have
22:09
been
22:09
And Tracy, we've been talking about the
22:11
WNBA before most people have started
22:14
talking about the WNBA.
22:16
>> Facts.
22:17
>> Right? And And I love hearing the
22:18
commentating, you know, about it early
22:21
on. You know, people would People would
22:23
say, "Oh, it's not exciting enough.
22:25
They're not dunking." or all of these
22:27
different things. Now it's become the
22:28
most watched programming you can see in
22:32
sports at any given time. I want to give
22:35
a round of applause for those women
22:36
who've made that happen, right?
22:38
>> Absolutely.
22:38
>> Um
22:39
What What are your thoughts though? I've
22:41
heard conversations where people would
22:43
say maybe they should lower the rim a
22:45
little bit so so that some of the women
22:48
can dunk more. You know, what do you
22:50
think about those kind of comments?
22:52
Would it make a difference?
22:53
>> I I mean, it might make a difference. I
22:55
don't know. All I know is that I score.
22:58
All I know is that I score on anybody
23:00
stepping in front of me, Man, woman,
23:01
child, wheelchair, I DON'T CARE.
23:04
>> [laughter]
23:05
>> WHEELCHAIR THOUGH?
23:06
>> YEAH, MAN. IT'S GOING DOWN. It's going
23:08
down. Grandparents, IT'S GOING DOWN.
23:12
IT'S GOING DOWN. And here's why, because
23:14
winning is a mentality.
23:15
>> Right.
23:16
>> Scoring is a state of mind. Like, you do
23:19
it to everybody so that you don't have
23:21
to flip that switch on, Sway. The switch
23:23
is flipped on when I walked in the
23:25
building.
23:25
>> That's right.
23:26
>> You're a switcher and a flipper, Sway.
23:27
That's what she's saying to you.
23:29
>> I'm a what?
23:30
>> A flipper [laughter] and a switcher.
23:31
>> Come on, she didn't say that.
23:32
>> I did not say that, Sway.
23:34
We're not going to let the beat do do
23:36
that to you.
23:36
>> NO, I AIN'T SAY THAT.
23:37
>> YO, COOP, SHE DOES THIS EVERY DAY.
23:40
>> [laughter]
23:40
>> LISTEN, I AIN'T MY NAME is Minnie and I
23:43
ain't in it.
23:44
>> All right.
23:45
>> All I'm saying is All I'm saying is you
23:47
got to You got to come come with your
23:49
switch flipped on.
23:51
>> Okay.
23:51
>> To everything in life. It's not just
23:53
basketball. It's everything in life.
23:55
That's why you have to come like like
23:57
when I play
23:58
it it was just It was just who's in
24:00
front of me. Is it New York? Is it LA?
24:02
And just a shout-out to LA Sparks. Hey,
24:05
y'all. My bad.
24:07
>> Yeah, man.
24:07
>> That y'all didn't win a championship
24:08
until I retired because
24:11
>> Why is that?
24:12
>> They should have chose me.
24:13
>> That's right.
24:13
>> They should have chose I'm from LA.
24:15
>> Yeah.
24:15
>> Gompers Junior High, 118th Street School
24:18
Elementary School, Locke High School.
24:20
Coach, shout-out to the Saints. I'm just
24:22
saying I'm from here.
24:24
I went to USC, y'all.
24:25
>> Yeah.
24:26
>> Everything in LA. Y'all can't choose me?
24:29
>> So, you you chose to punish them
24:31
>> Well, every single time they let me play
24:32
in the Forum, every time.
24:34
>> You punished the whole organization.
24:36
>> Everybody.
24:37
All of them. And let me tell you Let me
24:39
tell you this. Hey, you guys. New York
24:41
and LA really didn't stand a chance and
24:43
I'mma tell y'all why.
24:43
>> Please do.
24:45
>> Because in New York, they let me play.
24:48
Us play in Madison Square Garden, the
24:51
Mecca. You think you're going to get a B
24:53
game from me in Madison Square? And then
24:55
in LA, I grew up watching game time,
25:00
magic, and
25:02
in the forum. And y'all going to let me
25:03
play in the forum? Y'all think y'all I'm
25:05
not going to bring Come on now.
25:06
You going to see the best of Cynthia
25:08
Cooper in those games.
25:10
Huh.
25:10
>> I love it, man.
25:12
>> version every day.
25:13
>> up? And damn, I'm glad you said that. I
25:16
love it, man. Steve, you got a question
25:18
for Coop?
25:21
>> Yeah, man. I got a question for Coop. Uh
25:23
my question for her
25:25
Yeah, Steve New York. I'm Ravens with
25:27
Queens. I'm thinking
25:29
to her Can Cynthia Do you think that
25:31
Caitlin Clark could handle you guys
25:34
in the day?
25:37
>> Are you talking about defensively? Are
25:38
you talking about just our physicality?
25:43
>> I came I watched you guys when you guys
25:45
started with the W, and I appreciate
25:47
what you ladies brought to the game. I
25:49
don't think that she could hang out with
25:50
you defensively, offensively. It was a
25:53
much tougher league when you ladies were
25:55
coming up.
25:56
I don't think a lot of these new players
25:59
have the have the skill set to handle
26:01
that type of pressure.
26:04
>> I think a lot of these players just to
26:05
answer your question, yes, I thought I
26:07
think she would have She would have
26:09
flourished because we would have put her
26:11
in a situation to be great. That's what
26:13
we do. That's what teammates do first.
26:15
Secondly, Caitlin can play, yo. I've
26:18
seen Caitlin play in person. Uh she's
26:20
crafty. She scores at the three the
26:22
three-point line. That's what everybody
26:23
knows her for, but she can finish. She
26:25
backdoors. She She can get the ball to
26:28
other players and make them
26:30
better. So, she makes her entire team
26:32
better. I think she has the skill set to
26:36
continue to be successful in the W. So,
26:38
yes, I think she a baller. Then let me
26:41
say this. Back when I played Back when I
26:43
played, nobody could stop me. So, what
26:45
makes you think that Caitlin had No, I'm
26:48
just kidding.
26:49
>> [laughter]
26:49
>> NO, NO, YOU GOT TO GIVE
26:51
ME THAT. LET ME TELL Y'ALL WHAT MY
26:52
FAVORITE New York
26:53
Let me tell Y'ALL SOMETHING.
26:54
>> KEEP FLOWING.
26:55
>> I'M JUST SAYING, I'm saying nobody
26:57
could. So, that's why you get four you
27:00
you win the MVP in the playoffs four
27:02
times because you raise your level of
27:04
play
27:05
for the situation at hand, which were
27:08
the playoffs. Right? So, you trying to
27:10
win a championship not win games. And
27:12
then And let me tell you something, New
27:13
York, I love New York. I'm going to tell
27:15
you why. One of my favorite moments, New
27:17
York, I'm walking down the street and a
27:21
guy, random guy, gets out of taxi
27:23
and he sees me and he points at me and
27:25
he says, "You're Cynthia Cooper in the
27:28
WNBA. Girl, you can play." And listen,
27:31
y'all,
27:32
I knew I had arrived.
27:33
>> THERE YOU GO.
27:36
>> WHEN A RANDOM PERSON IN NEW York City
27:40
gets out of taxi and tell me I can ball,
27:42
I'm like, yes.
27:44
>> There you go.
27:45
>> Cynthia Cooper is here, man. Did you
27:47
ever think
27:48
you would see in your lifetime
27:51
take the championship?
27:53
>> No, I didn't think so. And nobody else
27:55
did either. I'M [laughter] JUST
27:57
YOU CAN YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ALL THE
28:00
ANALYSTS.
28:00
>> Thank you, Cynthia.
28:02
>> was talking about this. Do you remember
28:04
what they were saying about New York
28:06
early in the season?
28:07
>> The Knicks, yeah.
28:07
>> Oh my god, the New York Knicks, they
28:10
were tearing them to pieces. "Mikal
28:13
Bridges, why did y'all trade so many
28:15
players for Mikal Bridges? He got to
28:17
give me more. Hart has to give me more.
28:20
And I don't think Brunson, big body
28:22
Brunson, can can stay the course over
28:25
the Man, they didn't do nothing but just
28:27
shut up and they just start playing and
28:29
balling and coming together and getting
28:31
better because you don't win a
28:33
championship at the beginning of the
28:34
season, hallelujah. You win a
28:36
championship when you stay the course at
28:39
the end of the season, right? And you
28:40
come together and you show up when it's
28:42
time to show up.
28:43
>> Yes.
28:43
>> And you raise your game to another
28:46
level. Cat did that.
28:49
Played great defense. I Listen, you
28:51
can't say enough about the New York
28:53
Knicks and what they did over the arc of
28:55
the season in order to fight for a
28:57
championship and then win one.
28:58
>> There you go, man. Cynthia Cooper here.
29:01
Steve, you're a super citizen, man.
29:03
Great questions, brother. Appreciate
29:05
you, man. Ah, man. Cynthia, I wish we
29:07
had more time, but this is why you have
29:09
to come back
29:10
>> [laughter]
29:10
>> when you come to LA. The greatest that
29:13
ever hit the court right here, ladies
29:15
and gentlemen.
29:16
>> Thank you for coming, Cynthia. Thank
29:18
you.
29:18
>> Cynthia Cooper here. And make sure you
29:20
check out on Prime Videos coverage of
29:22
the 2026 WNBA Commissioner's Cup
29:25
Championship. That's Tuesday, June 30th.
29:29
All right, the Liberty versus the Aces.
29:31
At what time?
29:32
>> 7:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time and 6:30
29:36
pregame show. 6:30 pre You're going to
29:39
see the Hall of Famers. You're going to
29:40
see Swin Cash. You're going to see
29:41
myself, Candace Parker, Alysha Clark,
29:44
You're going to see LaChina Robinson.
29:46
Hey, we're going to be ready to go.
29:47
>> All right, and tell our sister Tina
29:49
>> Shout out to Tina.
29:51
Tina, we love you.
29:52
We love you, man.
29:53
>> All right, Cynthia, thank you for coming
29:55
by. You're a citizen.

WNBA Legend Cynthia Cooper: The Mind of a 4-Time Champion | SWAY’S UNIVERSE

Sway's Universe

Jill Scott Town Hall 'To Whom It May Concern' Album Release | SWAY’S UNIVERSE

Detroit's Own Page Kennedy: Raw Freestyle & Powerful Story ? | SWAY’S UNIVERSE

Kehlani on Her New Self-Titled Album, Turning 30, and R&B Growth | SWAY’S UNIVERSE

Detroit Diamond on Rhythm & Flow, Loss, and Legacy 💎 | SWAY’S UNIVERSE

Connie Diiamond DESTROYS Freestyle + Reveals Poetry Origins 🔥 | SWAY'S UNIVERSE

Natasha Liu Bordizzo on Sabine & Ezra, Rebels Callbacks, & Working With Dave Filoni | Spacecon 2025

Tank and the Bangas: How Winning a Grammy Changed Everything| SWAY’S UNIVERSE

Courtney Kemp: From Getting Fired to Creating the Power Universe | SWAY’S UNIVERSE

Tommy McElroy & Renée Moncada-McElroy on Music, Boxing & Legacy | SWAY'S UNIVERSE

FKA Twigs: Embracing Darkness in 'The Crow' 🌑 | SWAY’S UNIVERSE

Sura Ali on Sway: From Brooklyn Streets to Global Fame | SWAY’S UNIVERSE

Young Chris on Roc-A-Fella: Jay-Z, Kanye West & Baseline Studios | SWAY’S UNIVERSE

Chris Webber Gets Real: Mental Health, Music & More Unveiled 🚀 | SWAY'S UNIVERSE

How Lalah Hathaway Plans to Transform Music: Exclusive Interview 🌟 | SWAY’S UNIVERSE

Leah Martin Brown (Episode #56, Recorded: August 21, 2026) from Evol Walks #singer

Up next in 10

WNBA Legend Cynthia Cooper: The Mind of a 4-Time Champion | SWAY’S UNIVERSE

Sway's Universe