Te’a Cooper Is ‘Authentically Herself’ in SI Swimsuit Issue 2022 Debut

Unapologetic and fiercely beautiful, Cooper’s longtime fans celebrate her latest win.

Te’a Cooper attends Halloween event at Heritage Square Museum in Los Angeles :: Zuma Wire/IMAGO

WNBA player Te’a Cooper has been through a roller coaster of emotions during her career. This week she certainly has something to celebrate – landing in the 2022 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.

Cooper is one of five players to be featured in the issue, along with Sue Bird, Breanna Stewart, Nneka Ogwumike and DiDi Richards. But Cooper’s story is a wild one.

After her collegiate season at Baylor was cut short by COVID-19, she was drafted by the Phoenix Mercury in the second round of the 2020 WNBA draft. But due to budget cuts brought on by the pandemic, Cooper was soon waived and made a free agent. Then, just two days before the season started, Cooper was signed by the Los Angeles Sparks. After a successful two-year stint with the team, she was waived earlier this May.

But anyone who knows Cooper knows she’ll be back on the court soon. And she’s clearly making moves off of it.

Recently she captioned this fashionable look with a quote that perfectly sums up her journey so far:

“By the time you realize my worth I’ll be worth much more.”

All joking aside, Cooper’s drive to push through the emotional and physical challenges have turned her into a fan favorite. And her dedication to being “authentically herself” speaks volumes.

Of course, Cooper is always happy to give credit where credit is due. She posted a throwback on her Instagram at the beginning of all of her draft drama with a heartfelt tribute to her dad. 

“Can not make this up …. @omarsharifecooper my father literally made all this happen with blind faith. Was the only person who even believed this was possible the whole entire way. Sacrificed so much, I’m talking bout 2 decades of 6am till god knows when every day with all four of us, and now we can say we did it…from scratch. I literally didn’t have no idea what he saw in me but I just went with it.”

Check out Te’a Cooper in the 2022 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.

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