Cynthia Cooper-Dyke

Cynthia Lynne Cooper-Dyke (born April 14, 1963) is an American basketball coach and former player who has won championships in college, in the Olympics, and in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She is considered by many as one of the greatest female basketball players ever. In 2011, Cooper-Dyke was voted by fans as one of the Top 15 players in WNBA history. Upon the league's formation, she played for the Houston Comets from 1997 to 2000, being named the Most Valuable Player of the WNBA Finals in all four seasons, and returned to play again in 2003. Cooper-Dyke still holds the record for most Finals MVPs with four. On April 30, 2019, she was introduced as the head coach for the Texas Southern Lady Tigers basketball team, a position she held in the 2012–13 season. She has also coached at USC, UNC Wilmington, Prairie View A&M, and, professionally, for the Phoenix Mercury. Cooper-Dyke was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009 and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010.

Cynthia Cooper
Cooper-Dyke in 2011
Personal information
Born (1963-04-14) April 14, 1963
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Listed height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Listed weight150 lb (68 kg)
Career information
High schoolLocke (Los Angeles, California)
CollegeUSC (1982–1986)
Playing career1986–2003
PositionPoint guard / shooting guard
Number14
Coaching career2001–2022
Career history
As player:
1986–1987Segovia
1987–1994Basket Parma
1994–1996SC Alcamo
19972000, 2003Houston Comets
As coach:
2001–2002Phoenix Mercury
2005–2010Prairie View A&M
2010–2012UNC Wilmington
2012–2013Texas Southern
2013–2017USC
2019–2022Texas Southern
Career highlights and awards
As player:
  • 4× WNBA champion (1997–2000)
  • 4× WNBA Finals MVP (1997–2000)
  • 2× WNBA MVP (1997, 1998)
  • 3× WNBA All-Star (1999, 2000, 2003)
  • All-WNBA First Team (19972000)
  • 3× WNBA scoring champion (1997–1999)
  • WNBA 10th Anniversary Team (2006)
  • WNBA 15th Anniversary Team (2011)
  • WNBA 20th Anniversary Team (2016)
  • WNBA 25th Anniversary Team (2021)
  • 2× NCAA champion (1983, 1984)
  • No. 14 retired by Houston Comets
  • No. 44 retired by USC Trojans

As coach:

  • CAA Coach of the Year (2011)
Career WNBA statistics
Points2,601 (21.0 ppg)
Rebounds403 (3.3 rpg)
Assists602 (4.9 apg)
Stats at WNBA.com
Basketball Hall of Fame as player
Women's Basketball Hall of Fame
Medals
Women's basketball
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
1988 Seoul Team competition
1992 Barcelona Team competition
Pan American Games
1987 Indianapolis Team competition
FIBA World Championship
1986 Moscow Team competition
1990 Malaysia Team competition
Jones Cup
1981 Taipei Team competition
Assistant coach for  United States
FIBA Under-19 World Championship
2007 Bratislava Team competition
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