The WNBA has seen a surge in popularity ever since the class of 2024 rookies came through. Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese especially have brought attention to the product at a much higher level than seen in recent years. However, the W always had players that made people stand up and take notice. From Elena Delle Donne being dubbed the “female Kevin Durant” for her scoring prowess to Breanna Stewart drawing parallels to Tim Duncan, the league has not been short of players who left an impression.

Former Los Angeles coach Michael Cooper had one such name on his mind when he appeared on Byron Scott’s Fast Break podcast. Cooper had two stints with the Los Angeles Sparks as their Head Coach and led them to two WNBA titles during his first stint from 2000-2004. He has also served as the assistant and later interim coach for the Denver Nuggets in the NBA. As such he has had plenty of experience working with top-quality talent across both the men’s and women’s games.

Hence, he was asked to name the top five players he has coached, and Cooper had an interesting name up his sleeve.  “I had a young lady named Nikki Teasley. A very good player out of North Carolina, UNC, and she was the female version of Magic Johnson. This young lady could pass the basketball. Really, really pass the basketball. She’s your point of coach. So I enjoyed coaching her, my point guard,” said Cooper during Byron Scott’s Fast Break podcast on Sunday. The comparison isn’t without merit.

Teasley was initially drafted as the #5 overall pick by the Portland Fire in the 2002 Draft before she was traded to the Los Angeles Sparks shortly after. That year, her series-winning three-pointer in Game 2 of the WNBA Finals still ranks as one of the most defining moments in league history; she played the role of a clutch performer just as Johnson did.

She was named in the WNBA All-Star for two years in a row in 2003 and 2004. She was also the assists leader in 2004 and 2005, setting the bar high for playmaking in the WNBA.

Cooper’s endorsement of Teasley, comes at a time when the basketball world is focused more on emerging stars like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. Their rivalry and impact on the WNBA have drawn comparisons to how the competition between NBA greats Magic Johnson and Larry Bird did wonders for the NBA. In fact, Johnson himself endorsed this in a tweet on X back in June.

He wrote, “Larry and I heightened the NBA’s overall popularity. The Lakers and Celtics sold out arenas throughout the league and increased television viewership exponentially. The higher viewership numbers led to the NBA signing significantly larger TV contracts which then led to higher salaries for the players. Caitlin and Angel are now doing the same thing, selling out arenas and increasing the viewership.”

Interestingly, throughout the whole podcast, while different WNBA players were brought up, Reese, who became an All-Star this year, wasn’t part of any discussion. However, her rival definitely did make his list of talking points when her impact on the league was highlighted.

Michael Cooper shines the spotlight on Caitlin Clark

During the podcast, when Byron Scott asked him about the influence of the Indiana Fever point guard on the league Cooper had nothing but superlatives for her.

Cooper acknowledged the job done by early WNBA stars such as Sheryl Swoopes, Cynthia Cooper, Lisa Leslie, and others. He also mentioned stars like Kelsey Plum and Breanna Stewart, but said, “This young lady here, Caitlin Clark, she’s already changed it by coming in… The attendance you know… people following her in college to the Pro game. You see little girls now want to be like her,” said Cooper during the podcast.

“WNBA is in their 27th year it’s only going to be like the NBA. Its slowly but surely growing and this young lady’s a big reason why this game is changing. she is like Larry Bird Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan all rolled up in one,” he added.

Cooper went on to shed light on the No.22’s performance on the court as well and said, “he’s an unstoppable scorer, she’s an unselfish player, she’s hell of a passer, and now she’s showing you that she can rebound the basketball,” he added.

There is no denying Clark’s impact on the WNBA, but as Cooper pointed there were others who came before and laid the foundation. His mention and praise of Nikki Teasley is one such reminder.