Written by Austin Kent
One of the most famous female athletes of all-time, Cynthia Cooper spent her prime athletic years playing where all women basketball players of her generation aspired to play - the Olympics. Back before the creation of the WNBA in 1996, Cooper could be found ripping apart international competition in European pro leagues as early as 1986 and just several years prior, Cooper had led her University of Southern California to back-to-back NCAA championships in 1983 and 1984.
By the time the 1988 Seoul games rolled around it would have been ridiculous to leave Cooper off the roster. The selection committee - of course - did not, and the women's USA basketball team won its second gold medal since 1984. In 1992 Cooper would once again return to the international team and walk away with an additional bronze.
After dominating the WNBA from 1997-2000 and again in 2003 (two MVPs and four championships later), Cooper traded in her shorts for a suit and can now be seen leading the Prairie View A&M University women's basketball team to relative success in the NCAA's Southwestern Athletic Conference.
