WNBA legend Cynthia Cooper says Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese reminds her of herself when she was starting out in the league. In an interview with We Need to Talk Now, Cooper explained why and praised Reese, as well as two other young stars in Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers.
“I need to give a shout out to Angel Reese,” Cooper said. “She just gets down to business. A lot of stuff has been thrown her way. She keeps her circle tight and she stays focused on her game.”
Cooper pointed out Reese has gotten help from eight-time WNBA All-Star Lisa Leslie and always asks for help from “whoever she needs to in order to be a better player and a better person.” She also likes Reese’s close relationship with her mom, her ability to ignore the outside noise and the energy she brings to the court every day.
“She reminds me of me when I was starting out and I didn’t care,” Cooper said. “Say what you want to say. I’m bringing my A-game tonight. You’re gonna have to stop me from getting all these rebounds. Stop talking about how I get the rebounds. Stop me if you can. And I love that attitude of hers and how she’s continuing to get better every single game.”
Cooper is a proven winner at every level with a pair of national championships at USC, four WNBA titles and two Olympic medals. She knows what it takes to succeed, and said she sees the potential Bueckers has shown as a Dallas Wings rookie.
Bueckers tied Cooper’s 1997 rookie single-game record with 44 points against the Los Angeles Sparks on Aug. 20th. Cooper said one of Bueckers’ biggest strengths is that she never gets too high or too low mentally and has been showcasing her talent since Day 1 in the league.
“You can always tell who’s going to make a great pro,” Cooper said. “It’s by what they do off the court, what they do before they get to practice or to the training sessions. You know mentally, how she prepares herself. She’s not never too high, never too low, she’s right there, even killed and just focused. She’s driven, she’s focused, and I think she’s going to have an amazing professional career, amazing professional career.”
Another young player Cooper admires is Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark, who had a historic rookie season but has only played 13 games in 2025 due to injury. While she understands that not being on the court can feel frustrating, Cooper said Clark just needs to focus on healing.
“You can’t go through a season dipping in, coming out, going in, coming out… Every single matchup, we want to see you shine,” Cooper said. “So heal, sweetheart, let your leg heal. So when you come out, you’re firing on all cylinders. And you’re the Caitlin Clark. You’re better than the Caitlin Clark we saw your rookie year.”