Earvin “Magic” Johnson Jr. was a powerhouse on the basketball court. He has acquired legendary status for his exploits. On and off the court, he was a titan during his playing days. After his retirement, he has branched out into multiple business ventures. Presently valued north of $1 billion, his investment portfolio covers numerous sports teams. He is also a minority owner of the WNBA team, Los Angeles Sparks. One of the shining lights on that team, which is worth $223 million, is guard Zia Cooke.?

Cooke is at the moment enjoying herself at the U23 3×3 Basketball World Championship. She was the No. 10 pick in the first round of the 2023 WNBA draft and sports #1 on her back for the Sparks. Now wearing #4 for the US U23 3×3 Basketball World Championship team, she is doing what she does best. Cooke enjoyed a prolific opening two games in the Basketball World Championship on Wednesday and has shown why Magic Johnson?s franchise rates her highly.

Zia Cooke?s record in Lublin, Poland

The US team currently finds itself in third place in Pool A. They beat Austria 19-14 but then lost to China 22-20 in overtime. Zia Cooke has scored 17 of her team’s points to emerge as their top-scorer. That includes 11 points scored in a lost cause against the Chinese. Up next for them are games against the Netherlands and Kenya. FIBA3x3 recently posted the sensations Cooke’s performance and captioned the post “@zia_cooke was the SPARK for team USA on Day 1 of the #3x3U23 World Cup!“

Against Austria, Cooke made four 1-point field goals and a solitary 2-point field goal. To that, she added eight 1-point field goals, one 2-point field goal, and a single free throw against China. The Chinese and the Dutch are the only two teams with a 100 percent record from two games in Pool A. Top seed China beat Kenya 21-11 in their other game. The Netherlands beat Austria by the same scoreline as the US and also trounced Kenya 22-5 in their opening fixture. With this performance, team USA now looks forward to their much more important and must-win championship match.

Must-win clash in the U23 Basketball World Championship

A place in the quarterfinals lies in the balance when the Americans lock horns with the Dutch on Friday. The latter side will face China before taking on Cooke?s team. A win against the US team is necessary in case they fall to the Chinese. The Americans, on the other hand, will need to win just to stay alive in the Basketball World Championship. They will face Kenya in the final game of the pool.

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One of the top two teams from Pool C will lie in wait for them at the quarterfinal stage, should either team qualify. That group is presently being dominated by Hungary and France. Italy, Egypt, and Thailand complete Pool C. The US team will look to Cooke to produce more of her impressive form.

It remains to be seen if she can do the same in this crucial clash. One eye will be kept on the result of the game between China and the Netherlands. When they take on the Dutch, the Americans will need to put their best foot forward. In all likelihood, it will be a mouth-watering winner-take-all clash.

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